● Dylan Henry (Scott Hastings) and Kristen Mihalos (Fran) star in
an exciting new version of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, The
Musical at the National Theatre until May 26. Photo: Ben Fon

● See Page 36

Great apartments
in Cairns

Argosy On The Beach
CENTRE STATE DRILLING

Book direct 07 4055 3333
www.argosycairns.com
Turn to Page 49

Victorian
Selective Entry
High Schools
See details of the
four schools strategically located
around Melbourne.

● See advert, back page

See ad on Page 18

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 53

Camberwell
Sewing Centre

LATEST
SPECIALS
Turn To Page 38

Page 2 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Best Places

STOP - before you 'flick' the page over …
read on (it's worth it)

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YEAH ... But a "great" little ad and worth reading!
NOW is the time to be planning and booking a holiday away
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You won't find any 'advertising hype' here … we don't need
to talk like that; we just give you the plain, simple truth
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shown on our website is!
Our website prices are the "lowest" available (except for this special)

Nikki in Kabaret Dietrich Observer
■ Melbourne Cabaret Festival presents Nikki
Nouveau in Kabaret Dietrich - a biography rendered through song, dance and music, being presented from June 20 – 21 at Chapel off Chapel
The show is set in Weimar Republic Berlin
and unmasks the trials of an ageing film star,
from her early beginnings as a musician, an
under-recognised performance career in cabaret and theatre, through to her emergence as a
shining legend of the silver screen.
Dietrich was at heart a gentleman, prepared
to take on a man’s world in a man’s uniform
with a man’s daring.
Featuring a repertoire of cabaret classics, including Falling In Love Again, Lili Marlene and
La Vie En Rose, delivered in German, French
and English with accompaniment by piano and
musical saw, played by Nouveau who has
trained in the art of musical saw playing in NYC.
Created and performed by Nikki Nouveau, a
songstress, writer and producer whose glamorous productions have toured internationally to
New York, Edinburgh, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth
and Melbourne.
Kabaret Dietrich is a unique interpretation of
one of the greatest style icons of our time. Bookings highly recommended.
Performance Season: June 20 – 21 at 8.30pm
Venue: Chapel off Chapel, 10 Little Chapel
St. Prahran
Cost: $29-$38
Bookings: chapeloffchapel.com.au/show/
kabaret-dietrich/
- Cheryl Threadgold

Arts

● Peter Kemp

Hut
Gallery
Young Art
A wonderful
collection of artworks from the
young people in our
communities, giving them the opportunity to display
their work in a gallery.
Open Weekends
from June 9 - 24.
Closed Father's
Day.
The Hut Gallery
157 Underwood
Rd, Ferntree
Gully

● Nikki Nouveau in Kabaret Dietrich
Photo: Kieran McNamara

Precarious

● Ensemble, Circus Oz’s Precarious. Photo: Rob Blackburn
■ In their 40th year, Circus Oz tumbles back cus innovation, extending expectations of cirhome to Melbourne to premiere their new cus skill and apparatus through collaboration
show, Precarious, under the heated Circus Oz with the Circus Oz ensemble, musicians and
Big Top. In the Royal Botanic Gardens from production team.
June 26 – July15.
The Precarious Co-Directors explain: “We
Inspired by the garden surrounds, Precari- are in precarious times environmentally. How
ous is a 70-minute non-stop spectacle of acro- much more can our ecosystem take? Are we
batic mayhem for audiences of all ages.
approaching the tipping point? Can humanity
The Circus Oz ensemble will unearth in- restore the natural balance before it is too late?”
novative circus acts to create an exciting threeTim Entwisle, Royal Botanic Gardens
dimensional world that examines the fragility Victoria Director and Chief Executive, comthat exists between humanity and nature.
ments, “We are delighted to be partnering with
The skills and talents of the Circus Oz en- Circus Oz’s show Precarious. The show’s
semble will include foot juggling, aerial rope nature theme perfectly complements the new
and tippy ring, roué cyr, Chinese pole and hula location. We look forward to welcoming its
hoop – all woven together with original music audience to the Gardens, and we hope to fosfrom the live Circus Oz band.
ter a strong, ongoing relationship together.”
Circus Oz Artistic Director, Rob Tannion,
Performance Season 26 June – 15 July Dujoins forces with independent director, Kate ration 70 minutes (no interval)
Fryer, to craft Precarious and create the mayVenue Circus Oz Big Top
hem that is the ministry of nature – an absurd
Location Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria,
lo-fi bureaucracy filled with acrobatics, aeri- Southern Cross Lawn
als, live music and physical comedy.
Tickets $35 – $60 (plus booking fees)
Brought together by their shared love of
Bookings ticketek.com.au
storytelling in recognisable, yet surreal worlds,
Bookings: School and relax performances
Tannion and Fryer will continue to push cir- artscentremelbourne.com.au

Japan and Birth
of Modern Art

■ In 1854, Japan opened its borders to international trade following a long period of
self-imposed isolation.
The resulting influx of Japanese artworks
into Europe triggered an artistic revolution,
known a Japanisme, that helped to lay foundations of Western modern art.
The never-before-seen Japanese objects
and boldly-coloured woodblock prints offered dynamic new possibilities for European artists and craftspeople, who ado pted
elements of the visual language of Japanese
art in order to forge a new European art aesthetic.
Japanisme: Japan and the Birth of Modern Art draws from works from the National
Gallery of Victoria's collection to explore this
period o art history through exquisite examples of Western decorative arts, works
on paper, paintings, fashion and textiles, photography as well as Japanese art.
The exhibition highlights include Henri
de Toulouse-Lautrec's iconic Divan Japonais
poser, examples from the 1866
Bracquemond-Rousseau dinner service, and
a sinuous Art Nouveau display cabinet designed by Louise Majorelle, showcasing the
influences of Japanese aesthetics on French
furniture.
Turn To Page 58

■ Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate missing Morwell
mother Dominica Fenech and her five
week old baby son Riley.
The pair were last seen at a Fitzroy
medical clinic about 2.45pm on Friday
(May 11)..
Police and family members have concerns for their welfare due to the length of
time they’ve been missing.

More arrests

■ Detectives from the Armed Crime
Squad have charged two more people
following a shooting in Morwell in February. A 30-year-old Broome man was extradited from Broome and a 37-year-old
Hastings man was arrested in Hastings.

Robbery case

■ A man has been charged by detectives from the Armed Crime Squad following an alleged attempted armed robbery at a bank in Geelong.
A 55-year-old Winchelsea man was
charged with attempted armed robbery,
common law assault, assault with a
weapon and commist offences whilst on
bail. He faced Geelong Magistrate’s Court
that day and was remanded to appear
again on August 3..

5. "Hang on, I just got caught in the tram track".
4."I don't think 'smile for the dicky-bird' is appropriate".
3. "I really don't think this is the place
to be eating a kebab".
2. "That reminds me - I must ring my cousin in Tasmania".
1."I don't recall the face but
everything else seems familiar".

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inspected by appointment at the State
Library of Victoria. 328 Swanston St,
Melbourne.

■ Following the success of her autobiography,
Electro Girl, Lainie Chait steps off the page and
onto the stage in her first solo show, being presented from May 28 – June 2 at 7pm at The
Butterfly Club.
Electro Girl is the true story of Lainie’s journey living a symbiotic existence with epilepsy,
and how her triggers – cheap alcohol, drugs,
lack of sleep and dysfunctional relationships –
bring on her seizures.
Lainie says her tale is at times funny and
also confronting as it challenges how the medical fraternity manages epilepsy and shines an
electrical spotlight on alternative treatment options.
Lainie is an author, stand-up comedian and
public speaker. She created Electro Girl to expand the current beliefs around epilepsy and powerfully nudge audiences back into the driver’s
seat in managing their own health.
Bookings recommended.
Performance Dates: Monday May 28 – Saturday June 2 at 7pm (except Tuesday)
Cost: $27-34
Venue: The Butterfly Club, 5 Carson Place,
Melbourne
Tickets: thebutterflyclub.com
- Cheryl Threadgold

National Gallery
Major retrospective ofAustralian abstract
painter Robert Hunter.
Renowned for his complex geometric whiteon-white paintings Robert Hunter (1947 - 2014)
will be celebrated in a major retrospective at
NGV Australia featuring more than 40 works
which traverse his more than 40-year career.
At age 21, Hunter was the youngest artist to
participate in the landmark exhibition The Field
at the NGV in 1968.
This exhibition announced the arrival of latemodernist abstraction into Australia and opened
the new NGV building on St Kilda Rd.
By the age of 27, Hunter had established himself internationally and was invited to participate in major international exhibitions including
Eight Contemporary Artists at New York's Museum of Modern Art in 1974.IN the 1970s, Hunter
maintained an unwavering commitment to a singular aesthetic, creating complex patterns using
everyday materials such as masking tape and
white Dulux house paint.
Each of Hunter's paintings took up to three
months to create and test the very limits of visual perception, revealing clean, crisp geometries and subtle hints of colour upon close inspection.
The exhibition opened April 27 and is running until August 28. At The Ian Potter Centre
Federation Square Swanston St. Melbourne
The Field Revisited: NGV restages
radical exhibition 50 years on.
Regarded as a landmark exhibition in
Australia's art history, The Field was the National Gallery of Victoria's inaugural exhibition
at its new premises in St Kilda Rd. in 1968.
With its silver foil-covered walls and geometric light fittings, this boundary-pushing exhibition was the first comprehensive display of
colour field painting and abstract sculpture in
Australia and opened to much controversy at
the time.
The Field boldly launched the careers of a
generation of young Australian artists including
Sydney Ball, Peter Booth, Janet Dawson and
Robert Jacks, many of which were influenced
by American stylistic tendencies of the time.
Eighteen of the exhibiting artists were under
30 years, with Robert Hunter the youngest at 21
years
As a number of works from the original 1968
exhibition are known to have been destroyed,
and the fate of six paintings and six sculptures
still remain unknown, the NGV commissioned
a number of artist, including Garrey Foulkes,
Col Jordan, Emmanuel Raft, Trevor Wickers
and Normana Wright to recreate their original
works for The Field Revisited.
The remaining works from the original exhibition hat are absent from the 2018 exhibition
will be commemorated through a specially designed silhouette on the gallery walls, their physical apace marked out throughout the exhibition
to reinforce their importance and place in the
1968 exhibition

● Lainie Chait in Electro Girl.
Where possible, the fate of these missing
works will be noted in the exhibition wall text,
allowing visitors an invaluable insight into the
recent history of these works.
The Field Revisited is accompanied by a reprinted version of the rare and highly collectable 1968 exhibition publication alongside a new
publication which reflects on the importance of
this exhibition over the past 50 years.
Exhibition runs until August 2 at Ian Potter
Centre Federation Square Swanston St.
Melbourne.
National Gallery of Victoria
180 St Kilda Rd. Melbourne
- Peter Kemp

Regina returns
After a long six year wait, New York's Russian
born indie iconoclast Regina Spektor will return
to Arts Centre Melbourne’s Hamer Hall for a
special solo performance for one night only on
Sunday July 8 – performing songs from her entire career including her breakthrough album
Begin to Hope and most recent Remember Us
to Life.
Born in the Soviet Union, Regina Spektor
began studying classical piano at the age of six.
She continued that training after her family emigrated to New York City in 1989, eventually
studying composition at the Conservatory of
Music at Purchase College where she graduated with honours.
She began writing pop songs in her late teens
and made her recorded debut in 2001 with the
self-released 11:11, a collection of songs heavily
influenced by jazz and blues.
Songs followed in 2002 and Soviet Kitsch in
2004. Introduced to the world by indie band The
Strokes after they invited her to open for them
on their 2003/2004 tour, Spektor’s commercial
breakthrough came in 2006 with her fourth LP,
Begin to Hope.
The gold-certified album included the singles
“On the Radio,” “Better” and “Fidelity,” which
climbed the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Spektor released Far in 2009 and What We Saw
From the Cheap Seats in 2012 - both debuting at
No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
Following the Arts Centre Melbourne performance, Spektor will be performing for one
night only at the Sydney Opera House on Monday July 9.
- Contributed

Your
Stars
with Kerry
Kulkens
ARIES: (March 21-April 20)
Lucky Colour: White
Lucky Day: Friday
Racing Numbers: 2.3.6.9.
Lotto Numbers: 2.13.15.26.39.34.
A very favourable time to try new ventures and asking
special treatment from the people that matter. Many
opportnuties coming your way, and it would be wise to
grab them with both hands. Love life is also strongly
featured.
TAURUS: (April 21- May 20)
Lucky Colour: Peach
Lucky Day: Monday
Racing Numbers: 4.6.5.8.
Lotto Numbers: 4.12.26.29.8.33.
Past efforts will now pay dividends. Some troubles at
hoe could surface and there are a few changes at home to
be made. A good period for real estate dealings.
GEMINI: (May 21- June 21)
Lucky Colour: Yellow
Lucky Day: Tuesday
Racing Numbers: 4.6.8.5.
Lotto Numbers: 4.6.5.2.19.36.
Do not spend your hard earned money too freely. Many
will get support from influential people to achieve their
ideals. Many will get recognition they have hoped to get
from the people that really matter.
CANCER: (June 22- July 22)
Lucky Colour: Green
Lucky Day: Thursday
Racing Numbers: 1.3.9.5.
Lotto Numbers: 1.15.26.45.42.24.
Be discreet about love affairs. You will get the support
needed to get ahead in your career. Beware of so called
friends who may be jealous of you success.
LEO: (July 23-August 22)
Lucky Colour: Blue
Lucky Day: Friday
Racing Numbers: 1.3.5.9.
Lotto Numbers: 1.15.26.36.38.40.
A very favorable time to start a new venture or career.A
new idea you have worked out could become successful.
Many could meet the right person and embark on a long
and meaningful relationship.
VIRGO: (August 23- September 23)
Lucky Colour: Green
Lucky Day: Sunday
Racing Numbers: 6.5.2.3.
Lotto Numbers: 6.12.25.40.32.33.
Do not take your work problems with you, leave them
where they belong. Many will take a new direction in
life. Also a job offer in a completely new field is indicated.
LIBRA: (September 24- October 23)
Lucky Colour: Red
Lucky Day:Wednesday
Racing Numbers: 4.6.2.3.
Lotto Numbers: 4.12.26.36.35.2.
You might need to be diplomatic and understanding in
your domestic relationships to prevent fireworks. Everything will depend on maintaining harmony and most
what you were working towards will eventuate.
SCORPIO: (October 24- November 22)
Lucky Colour: Grey
Lucky Day: Wednesday
Racing Numbers: 4.6.2.5.
Lotto Numbers: 2.13.26.25.45.40.
Take the opportunities as they come along this way much
progress will be achieved during the next few weeks.Your
partner could have a problem coping with your moods,
try not to impose your views on others.
SAGITTARIUS: (November23- December 20)
Lucky Colour: Green
Lucky Day: Monday
Racing Numbers: 4.3.2.5.
Lotto Numbers: 4.12.23.36.35.8.
A few problems in the domestic area is likely you could
be pushing a willing horse too far. If you take life as it
comes for the next week or two your nervous tension
will subside.
CAPRICORN: (December 21- January 19)
Lucky Colour: Yellow
Lucky Day: Sunday
Racing Numbers: 1.3.5.2.
Lotto Numbers: 1.12.15.26.36.39.
A tendency to go extremes will only make life more difficult for you, if you push too hard you will only come up
with more opposition to your ideas. You must realize
that some involvements will only take not give.
AQUARIUS: (January 20- February 19)
Lucky Colour: Cream
Lucky Day: Saturday
Racing Numbers: 9.6.3.2.
Lotto Numbers: 9.6.3.32.20.12.
The unusual and did different are likely to change your
established routine. A very fast moving period but for
many it will turn out to be profitable if you have any
ambitions as a business person.
PISCES: (February 20- March 20)
Lucky Colour: Blue
Lucky Day: Friday
Racing Numbers: 4.9.8.7.
Lotto Numbers: 7.5.12.26.36.39.
For the ones that have done their homework success is
assured, but the others you just have to start again and
this time with more fore thought about what you are
doing. Some lucky periods coming up fairly soon.
KERRY KULKENS PS YCHIC LINE 190 2 240 051
or 1800 727 727
CALL COST: $5.50
INC G.S.T. PER MIN. MOB/PAY EXTR A.
VISIT KERR Y KULKENS MAGIC SHOP AT
1 693 BURW OOD HWY BELG RAVE
PH/FAX (0 3) 9754 4587
W WW .KERRY KULKENS.C OM.AU
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Melbourne Arts
At Collingwood
Works on Paper:
Christina - Night Swimming.
Louise - Where are we now?
This exhibition opens at 5pm on Saturday
(May 19) and runs until May 31.
Collingwood Gallery
292 Smith St, Collingwood.
- Peter Kemp

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 11
Melbourne

Observer

Showbiz News

Sounds of Swing

Theatre People
Trevor Ashley

Eildon Gallery
By Way of Navigation
An exhibition by Emma Hamilton.
By Way of Navigation explores the disparities between our attempts to understand
landscape through scientific calculation, mapping and photography, and our lived experiences.
By Way of Navigation places our scientific modes of understanding landscape in direct intersection with the terrain of a Norwegian island. This is a landscape where light is
an integral form of measurement, and locals
navigate through sightlines.
Using as its starting point a found diagram
depicting the distortion of landscape through
photography, this project explores the disparities between lived experience and or attempts
to understand landscape through calculations,
mapping and photography.
Through the camera scientific observation meets visual observation, recording an
image that simultaneously embodies the two.
Exhibition: May 23 - June 10.
Alliance François Eildon Gallery
51 Grey St, St Kilda
- Peter Kemp

Burrinja Gallery
The Power of the Sea.
An exhibition of oil paintings and pastels
by Maxwell Wilks depicting activities within
and around Port Melbourne and on other waters.
Maxwell Wilks is based in the Dandenong
Ranges but he enjoys painting the powerful
and strong shapes that are an everyday sight
in their working day.
Exhibition May 12 - June 10.
The Wonder Wigwam -Amy Middleton &
Dave Thompson
Burrinja Kids Stay and Play: free family
activity by local artists.
The Wonder Wigwam is an interactive visual and sound installation for children and
families.
Created as a catalyst for imaginary play,
The Wonder Wigwam uses books, environment and sensory triggers to evoke imagination and wonder.
It brings together elements of an outdoor
dwelling that includes a wigwam constructed
from wood, fabric and found materials, interactive lighting, a soundscape and a range of
books for children to enjoy that directly engages with theme of imagery contemplation/
play and idea generation.
Illustrative books that so not include text
will also be for those who find reading difficult due to age or language barriers. The installation will include a soundscape made in
collaboration with local sound artist Dave Thompson.
Turn To Page 59

● Guada Banez and Sonia Battistina in Sounds of Swing
at the Knox Community Arts Centre.
■ SLAMS Musical Theatre Company team big band classics and jazz standards with a full
up up with ‘The Fields’ Big Band to present big band backing.
Sounds of Swing, a night of Swing, Jazz, Latin,
Performance Dates: May 25, 26, 31, June 1,
Funk and Soul, from May 25 to June 2 at 8pm at 2 at 8pm
the Knox Community Arts Centre, Bayswater.
Venue: Knox Community Arts Centre, 790
Directed by Robert Valk, with musical and Mountain Highway, Bayswater.
co-direction by Marcus Fleming and choreogBookings: https://www.trybooking.com/book/
raphy by Katrina Katz, the show’s talented cast event?eid=363222&, 0412 605 182 or by email
invites audiences to step back in time and enjoy slams.mtc@live.com.au

Bryce is new Director
■ Arts practitioner Bryce Ives is the new Artistic Director at Theatre Works, commencing in
June.
Bryce has extensive experience in fostering
large-scale creative outcomes, and joins Theatre Works from the Ballarat Arts Academy at
Federation University, where he was Director.
He has also been Artistic Director of the
Present Tense Ensemble, an Executive Producer
of the ABC and General Manager at SYN Youth
Media.
Bryce has a strong commitment to rural and
regional communities, to young Australians and
striving for equity and equality.
His broad professional experience includes
media and broadcasting, community development and the music industry.
Theatre Works Chair Ros Willett said: “The
Board of Theatre Works is delighted to announce the appointment of Bryce Ives as our
new Artistic Director.
“Bryce’s past collaborations with diverse
communities is invaluable as we develop our
artistic model, purpose and place within the contemporary Australian theatre community.”
Bryce Ives says of his appointment: “Theatre Works is iconic, a critical player in
Australia’s theatre community in one of
Melbourne’s most interesting neighbourhoods,

● Trevor Ashley
■ Trevor Ashley started out as a talented
male cabaret artist in Sydney struggling to
find work.
His life changed when a ‘Drag Queen’
performer from the legendary Albury Hotel
in Oxford Street saw him onstage and suggested he try working in Drag.
Trevor took the advice and it has been
successful part of his theatrical career.
The big difference is that most Drag performers perform their act whilst miming another singer - Trevor has a great voice and
actually sings in his act.
His stage revues have included Fat Swan,
Little Orphan tr Ashley and Gentlemen Prefer Blokes.
He has toured his Trevor The Arena Mega
Musical to New York's Don't Tell Mama and
The Talk of London in England. Trevor has
written comedy material for himself and
many other artists.
As an actor he has played roles in stage
musicals such as Priscilla Queen of the
Desert, Hairspray, The Producers and Les
Misérables.
Trevor Ashley's latest show The Bodybag
- The Panto opens at the Comedy Theatre on
Thursday, May 31
The cast includes five performers and has
been touring Australia to great reviews. This
musical spoof is only on for three performances and tickets can be booked via
Ticketmaster.
The show is for adults - the plot involves
multi-award winning superstar Rachel Marinade who is one of the most successful entertainers ever to have come runner-up on
Australian Idol. But after a spate of creepy
"fan mail" it's clear that Rachel needs protection.
TrevorAshley will be my interview guest
during That's Entertainment on 96.5 Inner
FM, Sunday (May 20) at 12 noon.
- Kevin Trask

Tubular Bells

Melbourne Observations

with Matt Bissett-Johnson

● Bryce Ives
St Kilda. My history with Theatre works spans
the past seven years, through my role as Artistic Director of Present Tense, when we produced Ricercar and Margaret Fulton: Queen
of the Dessert at Theatre Works.
“I have a strong desire to see Theatre Works
connect meaningfully with the most pressing
and urgent conversations of our time. To be a
local venue with a truly global perspective, to
be a place renowned for its inclusive visionary
approach.”
Over the next three months, Bryce plans to
invite artists, friends and community members
to join him in a conversation about the future of
Theatre Works. Questions will include how
new creative voices can be fostered to thrive
through Theatre Works and how to strengthen
important voices in the community.
- Cheryl Threadgold

● Daniel Holdsworth (left) and
Tomas Bamford in Tubular Bells For
Two at Arts Centre Melbourne.
More details on Page 59.

Page 12 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

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Aussie scores big in ‘Shot In The Dark’
■ Hi everyone, from my suite at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and
Suites comes this week's news.

5th largest economy
■ California's gross domestic product surpassed $2.7 trillion
from 2016 to 2017, making the U.S. state the world's fifthlargest economy, bigger than that of even the United Kingdom, according to recently released federal data.
The most populous U.S. state saw a boom in almost every
single economic sector, with a $26 billion growth in real estate and $20 billion in the information sector, according to the
California Department of Finance.
The state's economic output is now short of only that of
Japan, China, Germany, and the total GDP of the U.S. the last
time the state's economy ranked as the world's fifth largest
was in 2002.

Melbourne to the world
■ From his role as presenter with Bert Newton on Channel 10's
morning show 12 years ago to now sitting on top of the world,
Shannon Watts has, in the eyes of Hollywood, made the big time.
'Shot in the Dark' is all about the cameramen armed with
camcorders and police scanners in search of shocking and grisly
crimes on the Los Angeles back streets and freeways after dark.
The video footage ends up on the morning television news
service.
The Hollywood movie called Nightcrawler which starred Jake
Gyllenhaal was similar to what happens in Shot in the Dark.
Shannon Watts is the creator and executive producer and now
after this success on Netflix worldwide, Shannon has many other
shows that he is presenting to the major television networks and
cable channels.
It's a tough town to get anything produced and Shannon Watts
has achieved so much. He is about to build his empire.
A true local boy made good. Behind most Aussies that are
trying to make it on the biggest stage in the world is the Managing
Director of the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites, Alan Johnson
who is always there to lend a helping hand to fellow Aussies.
Pictured in front of the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Suites on
Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood is Mr. Alan Johnson
with Executive Producer Shannon Watts.

Coca-Cola as health tonic

Spy agency triples work

● Alan Johnson with Shannon Watts

■ At a time when soda fountains were popular in the US due
to the widespread belief that carbonated water was good for
the health, American pharmacist John Pemberton came up
with his own formula for a health tonic.
Among its ingredients were cocaine, derived from the coca
leaf, and caffeine, derived from the kola nut, leading to the
name Coca-Cola. It was initially sold as a patent medicine for
five cents a glass. It has come along way since then.

US, top oil exporter
■ As global oil markets shift their attention from U.S. shale
oil production back to a resurgent Saudi Arabia and Russia
and geopolitical concerns bearing down on oil prices, the U.S.
is poised to surpass Saudi Arabia next year as the world's
largest exporter of crude and oil products.
The U.S. exported a record 8.3 million barrels per day last
week of crude oil and petroleum products. Top crude oil exporter Saudi Arabia's, for its part, exported 9.3 million barrels
per day in January, while Russia exported 7.4 million barrels
per day.

Paris Hilton hacked
■ Paris Hilton made an appearance in federal court for the sentencing of a hacker who authorities say used her bank and credit
card information to run up huge bills.
Paystar Bkhchadzhyan was sentenced to four years and nine
months in prison Monday and was ordered to pay more than
$318,000 in restitution to Hilton's banks and credit card companies. In a deal with prosecutors, she pleaded guilty in November
to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
In an unusual move in such cases, the 37-year-old heiress
showed up at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse in a business suit and sunglasses to give a victim impact statement.

■ The U.S. unemployment rate has moved below 4 percent
the first time it has broken that symbolic barrier since December 2000, according to a report from the Department of
Labor Statistics on Friday.
However, job growth was slightly lower than expected in
April. American employers added 164,000 jobs in April, less
than what economists had previously forecast.
Wages grew 2.6 percent from a year earlier also slightly
below expectations. The economy has now been expanding
for almost nine years, the second longest streak on record.
Also Black,
Hispanic unemployment rates hit record lows. The unemployment rate for black workers hit the lowest on record in
April, according to the latest jobs figures released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The unemployment rate for black workers dropped to 6.6
percent, beating the previous record low of 6.8 percent set in
December. The jobless rate for Hispanics fell to 4.8 percent,
tying the record reached last year and in 2006. Meanwhile,
unemployment for white Americans stood at 3.6 percent.

Out and About

Observer holiday deal
■ If you are considering a move to Los Angeles or just coming
over for a holiday then I have got a special deal for you.
We would love to see you at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and
Suites, 8585 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood.
I have secured a terrific holiday deal for readers of the
Melbourne Observer and The Local Paper.
Please mention 'Melbourne Observer' when you book and
you will receive the 'Special Rate of the Day'.
Please contact: Joanna at info@ramadaweho.com
Happy Holidays,
Gavin Wood

■ The U.S. National Security Agency collected 534 million
records of phone calls and text messages of Americans last
year, more than triple gathered in 2016, a U.S. intelligence
agency report released on Friday said.
The sharp increase from 151 million occurred during the
second full year of a new surveillance system established at
the spy agency after U.S. lawmakers passed a law in 2015
that sought to limit its ability to collect such records in bulk.
The spike in collection of call records coincided with an
increase reported on Friday across other surveillance methods, raising questions from some privacy advocates who are
concerned about potential government overreach and intrusion into the lives of U.S. citizens.

● Jennifer Aniston

www.gavinwood.us

■ Jennifer Aniston at Nello in NYC.
■ Tony Danza celebrating his birthday at Patsy's Italian Restaurant in NYC.
■ Marty Rhone wearing Denim and Lace on the subway in
New York City.
■ Jackie Mason cracking up his waitress and the next table
at Hi-Life Bar & Grill in NYC.
■ It's a boy for Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons. The couple
36 and 30, respectively welcomed their first child, a rep for
Dunst confirmed Tuesday.
■ Taylor Swift's Ex, DJ Calvin Harris and his girlfriend,
■ Aarika Wolf, slammed into another car this weekend, leaving a couple of young ladies injured. Eyewitnesses tell us
Calvin's girlfriend, Aarika, was behind the wheel of a Range
Rover on a residential street Sunday in Beverly Hills.

Page 14 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Victoria Pictorial

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Service Stations
Historic Photo Collection

● Footscray Motors, Hugh Williams Pty Ltd. Hopkins St.

● Dalgety Service Station. Church St, Richmond.

● Ripponlea Service Station

● Discount petrol sold by George Ljubinkovic. 1968

● Shell Service Station.

● Adelphi Service Station. Cnr St Georges Rd and Nicholson St.

● Halls Gap

● Junction Petrol Station. St Kilda Junction. Circa 1934.

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 15

Local History

Failed fight for a railway line
■ Whilst nearby lines opened in
succession, Kinglake was unable to
obtain the railway link to Melbourne
that it so wanted.
Victorian Railways Commissioners opened lines to Yea (November
16, 1883), Yarra Glen (May 15, 1888)
and Whittlesea (1889).
Kinglake’s only link was through
its Timber Tramway that had a link
to a siding at the Whittlesea Railway
Station.
Kinglake locals held out hope that
the Hurst’s Bridge line that opened
on June 25, 1912 (renamed as Hurstbridge on December 9 of the same
year) might be extended to the top of
the mountain.
The Evelyn Observer newspaper
reported on October 19, 1883, that a
deputation representing Alphington,
Heidelberg, Greensborough,
Eltham, Nillumbik, Diamond Creek,
Kangaroo Ground, Caledonia and
Kinglake, met with the Commissioner of Railways.
The depuattion comprise Messrs.
P. W. Smith, John Donldson, Crisp,
Jos. Blond, Studley, Scotland,
Iredale, Flintoff, Wingrove,
Wippell, Peers, N. Ellis, Cumming,
John Bell, Robert Smith, and Staff
accompanied by Dr. Dobson and Mr.
Balfour, M.LC.'s, and Mr. Harper,
M.L.A., introduced by Mr. E. H.
Cameron.
“The deputation, who took it for
granted that the extension of the rail
way from Alphington to Heidelberg
was a certainty, asked that a survey
be made from Heidelberg to pass
midway between Greensborough
and Eltham, thence up the valley of
the Diamond Creek,” reported the
Evelyn Observer, then headquartered
at Kangaroo Ground.
“The population on this route,
within a radius of five miles was
given at 3500. The mining portion at
270, and the amount of gold obtained
during the quarter ended 30th September last, was 1095 ozs., value,
£4880.
“There were four crushing machines and a couple more likely
shortly to be erected.
“It was also pointed out that within
the same radius there were 40,000
acres of alienated land, a great deal
of which was purchased at prices
from £1 to £5 some 35 or 40 years
ago, and all small holdings, hence
the larger population, who were occupied principally on the land producing a large quantity of fruit and
cereals
“It was contended that the valley
of the Diamond was famous for the
quantity and quality of the fruit
grown. It was also mentioned that
the timber forest could be reached

● Whittlesea Railway Station: earliest days. Photo: John Young Collection,
at a nearer distance to Melbourne deputation retired well satisfied with
“As far as Kinglake was con- opened, as also would cattle breedthan by any other route.
the reception they received,” re- cerned, he had been living there ers, who would then truck their cattle
“Railway accommodatioin was ported the Observer.
many years and simply through per- to market.
strongly urged on the ground that alThe same newspaper, in 1885, severance had made living, and was
“Under existing circumstances
though the localities to be served are reported on the efforts to have a rail- now realising £500 a year, while he they preferred to drive them to
only fron 15 to 30 miles from the way to Yarra Flats (Yarra Glen), knew others who had taken up se- Melbourne, as it was the cheapest.
Metropolis the transit of produce to noting that a road proposed byEltham lections and had commenced with
“Mr Gillies, in reply to the depumarket costs as much as it does from Shire Council on land belonging to £500, £1000, and even £2000, had, tation, said he did not think it was the
the agricultural districtsof Boort, Kinglake pioneers Staff and after spending their all, gone back to intention of anyone that the line would
Charlton, or Dimboola, with their Thomson would bring Kinglake Melbourne.
stop at Heidelberg, certainly it was
hundreds of miles from Melbourne. within nine milles of the proposed
“This was not owing to the land not his.
“The deputation, to show their Yarra Flats railway station.
being poor, but owing to it costing
“He knew from personal visits to
moderation, would be satisfied with
The July 6, 1888 Observer noted from £20 to £30 an acre to clear,” the district that the several gentlea small instalment to begin with and that 50-60 people, representing the said the newspaper.
men who had spoken had in no way
only asked a survey to the Upper area between Heidelberg and Muddy
“If a railway was constructed the exaggerated their remarks, and he
Diamond, a distance of 12 miles Creek, met at the Grand Hotel, timber could be sent to Melbourne, would be glad to do all all he could to
from Heidelberg, thus bringing a rail- Spring St, Melbourne, to discuss the and then, instead of ruination, it have the survey made. (Cheers),”
way within four miles of Kangaroo discussion about the Heidelberg- would pay them to clear.
noted the Observer.
Ground, five of Panton Hill, eight Kinglake railway soon to be held
“The mountain, too, was particuIn 1889, a meeting of the Railway
of Queenstown, and four or five of with the Victorian Premier. Mr Beale larly adapted for growing fine veg- League at Queenstown was reported
Arthur's Creek.
represented Queenstown (St etables, and would supply the mar- in the local press.
“The deputation is more likely to Andrews) and Mr McAleese was the ket at that time of the year when veg“A meeting, consisting of a numsucceed in their request on account spokesman for Kinglake.
etables were scarce.
ber of local residents and gentlemen
of their moderation.
Mr Beale said that the route the
“The people residing on the other from Melbourne, was held at the
“Another feature of this deputa- line would go could honestly be side of the watershed of the Divide Hall, Queenstown, on Friday evening
tion was that each did not deem it termed a valley or orchards, each looked to and depended on this line. last, regarding the proposed Heidelnecessary to have his say, but was orchard varying in extent from one
“Now they had to turn their backs berg to Kinglake railway.
satisfied with the way the introducer to 10 acres.
to Melbourne for a long distance if
“Mr J. L. Beale, President of the
put their claim, and so ably sup“The district was known to be a they desired to reach that place by Elthnm Shire Council, and Presiported by Messrs. Dobson, Balfour, particularly healthy one, and the im- rail.
dent of the local Railway League, ocand Harper.
pressive knolls, admirably adapted
“There was a large number of cupied the chair.
“Mr. Wingrove, who spoke, a few for villa residences, would be eagerly stock bred and reared there which
“The Chairman, after stating he
words, incidentally mentioned that sought after if the desired boon was would be sent by railway. Stock and had received an apology from Mr.
care should be taken in entering obtained,” Mr Beale said.
produce were ever increasing in the Cameron, who was unable to attend,
Heidelberg to keep in view the sup“There was a gold industry too. A district and would increase tenfold if said one of the chief reasons for callplying of districts to the north-east,
good deal of prospecting had been the railway was opened,” the Ob- ing the meeting arose through the
“Mr. Gillies, in reply quite agreed done in times gone by, and even at server reported.
desire of a number of gentlemen rethat care should be taken that the rail- the present time men were engaged
Mr McAleese, of Muddy Creek, siding in Melbourne, but who hold
way to Heidelberg should not termi- in it.”
spoke strongly in favour of this line; land at Kinglake, to have their names
nate at the place in a cul de sac, and
“Payable gold had been obtained it would make a difference of be- onrolled as members of the league.
was so impressed with a good case in several claims down to water level, tween 50 and 60 miles to them.
“Several letters were read, the
having been made out, that be prom- and he was of opinion it only required
“A large number of splitters were most important of which perhaps was
ised to have a flying survey made, capital to find that they were pay- engaged in the paling industry, who one from Mr. McAleese, of the
would be gainerrs if this line was Muddy Creek sidebeyond Kinglake.
for which he was thanked, and the able below that level.

● The freight service to Whittlesea was closed in the mid
1950s and the passenger service remained until the line
beyond Thomastown was closed on November 28, 1959.

● Work on the Hurstbridge reailway line, early 1900s.

Page 16 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Observer Magazine

■ Lyon Himan Green was born in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada, 100 years ago.
He was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants and he was known as Hyman during his
school years.
He started acting in drama productions whilst
attending Queens University in Kingston.
After graduation Hyman accepted a fellowship at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of
the Theatre in New York City.
He returned home two years later and started
working as a news reader at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation where he became known
as ‘The Voice of Canada’. He was now using
the stage name of Lorne Greene.
In 1938 Lorne married Rita Hands and they
had two children. During the war years Lorne
served in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
After the war he returned to radio and invented a stopwatch that worked backwards to
allow announcers to gauge how much time they
had time available to close a program.
In 1953 he was in a Broadway production of
The Prescott Proposal and co-starring with
Katharine Cornell at the Broadhurst Theatre.
Lorne scored roles in television dramas and
then appeared in films such as The Silver Chalice, Autumn Leaves, Peyton Place and The Trap.
After a guest role in the television series
Wagon Train he was asked to play ‘Ben
Cartwright’ in the new western Bonanza.
His hair was silver and he was perfectly cast

Whatever
Happened
To ...
Lorne
Green

By Kevin Trask
of 3AW and 96.5 Inner FM

in the role. The series ran from 1959 till 1973
and it became one of the most popular shows on
television.
He was a father to three sons living on a
ranch called The Ponderosa sometime after the
American Civil War.
The sons were originally played by Michael
Landon, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker.
Elvis Presley was a big fan of the show and
visited the set.
Following his divorce from Rita he married
Nancy Deale in 1961 and they had a son.
Lorne was earning a huge salary from Bonanza and became extremely wealthy through
investments in real estate and other projects.
He built a house in Arizona which was a

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Lorne appeared as a guest on The Dean
Martin Show. Dean and Lorne sang songs and
did some ad-lib dialogue as they sat on two very
undisciplined horses. It was brilliant television Dean said he wanted to be on Bonanza and Lorne
replied that he would make a great guest star.
Dean quipped, "I don't want to be a guest star
I want to be a son." It was hilarious.
After Bonanza finished Lorne went straight
into a new television crime series Griff where
he played a private detective.
He had a small role in the film Earthquake
playing opposite Gregory Peck and Ava
Gardiner.
Lorne found fame again when he starred as
‘CommanderAdama’ in the futuristic television
series Battlestar Galactica for several years.
He was a guest star on many television shows
such as The Love Boat, Highway To Heaven and
Police Squad. His last acting role was as a lawyer in Dallas.
Lorne Greene died in Santa Monica in 1987
at the age of 72 from pneumonia complications
following surgery for an ulcer.
Kevin Trask
The Time Tunnel - - Sundays
on 3AW
● Lorne Green
That's Entertainment - 96.5FM
replica of The Ponderosa. In 1964 he had a
Sundays at 12Noon
number one hit song titled Ringo and this led to a
96.5FM is streaming on the internet.
series of popular albums.
Lorne Greene visited Australia several To listen, go to www.innerfm.org.au and
follow the prompts.
times.

Churchillian devotion to the bubble
■ Having led Britain to victory in
World War II as his nation’s Prime
Minister and then seen his party thrown
out of office in the first election after
that war, Winston Churchill had one
particularly important job in mind
when he was re-elected again by voters in 1951.
And that was to stock-take the cellars when he moved back into the
Prime Ministerial home and office at
Number 10 Downing Street. And critically for just how many bottles of
Champagne they held, and of those
how many were of the Champagneloving Churchill’s favourite drop, Pol
Roger.
When the reply came back that
there was none, Churchill got straight
on the phone to the Champagne
house’s owner and his friend, Mme
Odette Pol Roger in Epernay, who
within an hour had a few cases heading to Number 10 post-haste.
And all this before Churchill had
even held his first Cabinet meeting
there.
Although he’d been enjoying Pol
Roger for years, it was only in 1944
during a visit to Paris after the liberation of France by the Allies, that
Churchill first met Jacques and Odette
Pol Roger at a luncheon at the British
Embassy.
He was swept away both by
Odette’s beauty and her wit (“as sparkling as her Champagne,”) and openly
praised her courage as a bicycle courier for wartime’s French Resistance.
As their friendship developed, the
Pol Roger’s named their finest premium Champagne as Cuvee Winston
Churchill, while he in turn named one
of his race horses Pol Roger, and during the last 10 years of his life ordered
over 500 cases of Pol Roger Champagne – literally a carton a week.
And 46 years after his death in
1965, the French street in which the
Pol Roger cellars are located was renamed in 2011 by the local Epernay
Municipality, Rue Winston Churchill.

Pie-time
■ Pie eaters unite – June’s around the
corner and that means it’s time again
for Australia’s biggest celebration of
everything pies in NSW’s Southern
Highlands… that becomes the Southern Pie-lands for all of June.

WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
The Rocky Horror Show returns to
Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre
from July 13. Australia’s favourite
multi- award winning triple threat Todd
McKenney will star as Frank n’Furter,
a role he has wanted to perform since
commencing his career. Shane
Jacobsen will perform the role of the
narrator, a Rocky Horror Show role
traditionally performed by major stars
across the globe.
● Winston Churchill and Odette Pol-Roger
award in the 2017 Qantas Tourism
Awards for best Destination Marketing Campaigns.
And last year’s Southern Highlands
Best Pie Competition has been expanded this year to become the NSW
and ACT Best Pie Competition, with
five categories of pies both savoury
and sweet and with the winning pies
being available for visitors to search
out and chomp into.
Plus Pie Time’s month long celebrations will culminate in a two-day
“Pie Fest” on the weekend of June 23
and 24 that showcases all things pies
and their best accompanying wines,
beers, ciders and spirits made in the
Southern Highlands, and further
afield, will this year be held at the vast
Bong Bong Picnic Racecourse just
outside Bowral to accommodate a
greater number of stallholders and
with David Ellis
activities – and with
Based on the towns of Bowral, plenty of visitor parking as last year
Mittagong and Moss Vale and the over 4000 attended the weekend.
Organisers suggest pie-lovers inmany picturesque little mountain villages around them, the Southern High- terested in visiting this year’s Pie Time
lands have more pie bakeries and pie book any accommodation needs early,
outlets per capita than any other re- and can do this and get any further
gion in Australia, and is arguably the information, by phoning Destination
unofficial Pie Capital of the country. Southern Highlands on 1300 657 559
Last year’s inaugural Southern or visiting www.visitsouthern
Highlands’ Pie Time drew thousands highlands.com.au
And ask also about Pie Time’s Piof pie-lovers to the Highlands through
the month of June who, with enthusi- not and Pie Tours, Pie Trike Tours and
astic locals, chomped their way the Pie-cycle for cycling enthusiasts
through just over 100,000 pies – and to enjoy their sport and a pie or three
along the way.

Struth

The Rocky Horror Show is a true
classic and one of theatre’s most
endearing and outrageously fun
shows. It opened at London’s Royal
Court Theatre on June 19, 1973,
quickly developing a cult following,
and was adapted into the 1975 film
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which
has the longest- running release in
film history. This iconic brand holds a
unique place in theatre history, a
show which has defied the decades
and continued to grow in popularity.

To enter, post to:
Rocky Horror Comp
PO Box 1278, Research, Vic 3095

We have six double passes (great
Dress Circle tickets) to give away to
readers for the ‘Rocky Horror
Show’ at the Her Majesty’s
Theatre, at 7.30pm on Thursday,
July 11, 2018.
To enter, complete the details on
this entry form, and mail it to
‘Rocky Horror Comp.’, PO Box
1278, Research, Vic 3095, to
reach us by first mail on Monday,
May 28.
Only enter if you can attend.
These are great tickets.
Winners will receive their tickets
by mail.

May's Sale Item is a ready-to-hang Limited
Edition Art Print of Melbourne in 1882.
This is a stunning Melbourne aerial view showing the historical development of the 1880's
era. It is a beautiful reminder of our wonderful past and development.

Santorini on Mudjimba
Beachfront accommodation on the
Sunshine Coast
4 STAR ACCOMMODATION IN
MUDJIMBA, SUNSHINE COAST,
QUEENSLAND
This four star resort offers you the opportunity to get away from it all. You
can do as much or as little as your
heart desires. Come and experience
Mudjimba, the way the beach used
to be.
Just 5 minutes from Sunshine Coast
Airport, Santorini Resort on
Mudjimba Beach is a favourite for
families, sporting groups and romantic escapes. The Mudjimba surf patrolled beach is on your doorstep and
the parkland opposite comes complete with barbecues, shaded picnic
areas and children’s playground. The
beach captures the very essence of
what makes the Sunshine Coast so
special; with golden sands stretching
as far as the eye can see.
In keeping with its prime beachside
location, Santorini on Mudjimba will
meet all your expectations for a holi-

day to remember. The apartments
are spacious and well appointed.
Santorini’s onsite facilities include a
resort style swimming pool, half court
tennis and a large BBQ & entertainment area. The resort is a non-smoking facility.
Come and experience this unique and
convenient location on the Sunshine
Coast’s pristine coastline.
Mention this advert or visit our
website for special direct booking
discounts.
www.santorinitw.com

This magnificent property is for sale as a going concern or a private house

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 25

Page 26 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Healthy Living

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 27

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 29

Page 30 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Observer Classic Books

Hard Times - by Charles Dickens
Handle them never so lightly, and they fell to
pieces with such ease that you might suspect
them of having been flawed before. They were
ruined, when they were required to send
labouring children to school; they were ruined
when inspectors were appointed to look into their
works; they were ruined, when such inspectors
considered it doubtful whether they were quite
justified in chopping people up with their machinery; they were utterly undone, when it was
hinted that perhaps they need not always make
quite so much smoke. Besides Mr. Bounderby’s
gold spoon which was generally received in
Coketown, another prevalent fiction was very
popular there. It took the form of a threat. Whenever a Coketowner felt he was ill-used — that is
to say, whenever he was not left entirely alone,
and it was proposed to hold him accountable for
the consequences of any of his acts — he was
sure to come out with the awful menace, that he
would ‘sooner pitch his property into the Atlantic.
’ This had terrified the Home Secretary within
an inch of his life, on several occasions.
However, the Coketowners were so patriotic
after all, that they never had pitched their property into the Atlantic yet, but, on the contrary,
had been kind enough to take mighty good care
of it. So there it was, in the haze yonder; and it
increased and multiplied.
The streets were hot and dusty on the summer
day, and the sun was so bright that it even shone
through the heavy vapour drooping over
Coketown, and could not be looked at steadily.
Stokers emerged from low underground doorways into factory yards, and sat on steps, and
posts, and palings, wiping their swarthy visages,
and contemplating coals. The whole town
seemed to be frying in oil. There was a stifling
smell of hot oil everywhere. The steam-engines
shone with it, the dresses of the Hands were
soiled with it, the mills throughout their many
stories oozed and trickled it. The atmosphere of
those Fairy palaces was like the breath of the
simoom: and their inhabitants, wasting with heat,
toiled languidly in the desert. But no temperature made the melancholy mad elephants more
mad or more sane. Their wearisome heads went
up and down at the same rate, in hot weather
and cold, wet weather and dry, fair weather and
foul. The measured motion of their shadows on
the walls, was the substitute Coketown had to
show for the shadows of rustling woods; while,
for the summer hum of insects, it could offer, all
the year round, from the dawn of Monday to the
night of Saturday, the whirr of shafts and wheels.
Drowsily they whirred all through this sunny day,
making the passenger more sleepy and more
hot as he passed the humming walls of the mills.
Sun-blinds, and sprinklings of water, a little
cooled the main streets and the shops; but the
mills, and the courts and alleys, baked at a fierce
heat. Down upon the river that was black and
thick with dye, some Coketown boys who were
at large — a rare sight there — rowed a crazy
boat, which made a spumous track upon the
water as it jogged along, while every dip of an
oar stirred up vile smells. But the sun itself, however beneficent, generally, was less kind to
Coketown than hard frost, and rarely looked intently into any of its closer regions without engendering more death than life. So does the eye
of Heaven itself become an evil eye, when incapable or sordid hands are interposed between
it and the things it looks upon to bless.
Mrs. Sparsit sat in her afternoon apartment at
the Bank, on the shadier side of the frying street.
Office-hours were over: and at that period of
the day, in warm weather, she usually embellished with her genteel presence, a managerial
board-room over the public office. Her own private sitting-room was a story higher, at the window of which post of observation she was ready,
every morning, to greet Mr. Bounderby, as he
came across the road, with the sympathizing
recognition appropriate to a Victim. He had been
married now a year; and Mrs. Sparsit had never
released him from her determined pity a moment.
The Bank offered no violence to the wholesome
monotony of the town. It was another red brick
house, with black outside shutters, green inside
blinds, a black street-door up two white steps, a

Charles Dickens
brazen door-plate, and a brazen door-handle
full stop. It was a size larger than Mr.
Bounderby’s house, as other houses were from
a size to half-a-dozen sizes smaller; in all other
particulars, it was strictly according to pattern.
Mrs. Sparsit was conscious that by coming in
the evening-tide among the desks and writing
implements, she shed a feminine, not to say
also aristocratic, grace upon the office. Seated,
with her needlework or netting apparatus, at the
window, she had a self-laudatory sense of correcting, by her ladylike deportment, the rude
business aspect of the place. With this impression of her interesting character upon her, Mrs.
Sparsit considered herself, in some sort, the
Bank Fairy. The townspeople who, in their passing and repassing, saw her there, regarded her
as the Bank Dragon keeping watch over the
treasures of the mine.
What those treasures were, Mrs. Sparsit knew
as little as they did. Gold and silver coin, precious paper, secrets that if divulged would bring
vague destruction upon vague persons (generally, however, people whom she disliked), were
the chief items in her ideal catalogue thereof.
For the rest, she knew that after office-hours,
she reigned supreme over all the office furniture, and over a locked-up iron room with three
locks, against the door of which strong chamber the light porter laid his head every night, on
a truckle bed, that disappeared at cockcrow.
Further, she was lady paramount over certain
vaults in the basement, sharply spiked off from
communication with the predatory world; and
over the relics of the current day’s work, consisting of blots of ink, worn-out pens, fragments
of wafers, and scraps of paper torn so small,
that nothing interesting could ever be deciphered
on them when Mrs. Sparsit tried. Lastly, she

was guardian over a little armoury of cutlasses
and carbines, arrayed in vengeful order above
one of the official chimney-pieces; and over that
respectable tradition never to be separated from
a place of business claiming to be wealthy — a
row of fire-buckets — vessels calculated to be
of no physical utility on any occasion, but observed to exercise a fine moral influence, almost equal to bullion, on most beholders.
A deaf serving-woman and the light porter completed Mrs. Sparsit’s empire. The deaf servingwoman was rumoured to be wealthy; and a saying had for years gone about among the lower
orders of Coketown, that she would be murdered
some night when the Bank was shut, for the
sake of her money. It was generally considered,
indeed, that she had been due some time, and
ought to have fallen long ago; but she had kept
her life, and her situation, with an ill-conditioned
tenacity that occasioned much offence and disappointment.
Mrs. Sparsit’s tea was just set for her on a pert
little table, with its tripod of legs in an attitude,
which she insinuated after office-hours, into the
company of the stern, leathern-topped, long
board-table that bestrode the middle of the
room. The light porter placed the tea-tray on it,
knuckling his forehead as a form of homage.
‘Thank you, Bitzer,’ said Mrs. Sparsit.
‘Thank you, ma’am,’ returned the light porter.
He was a very light porter indeed; as light as in
the days when he blinkingly defined a horse, for
girl number twenty.
‘All is shut up, Bitzer?’ said Mrs. Sparsit.
‘All is shut up, ma’am.’
‘And what,’ said Mrs. Sparsit, pouring out her
tea, ‘is the news of the day? Anything?’
‘Well, ma’am, I can’t say that I have heard anything particular. Our people are a bad lot, ma’am;

but that is no news, unfortunately.’
‘What are the restless wretches doing now?’
asked Mrs. Sparsit.
‘Merely going on in the old way, ma’am. Uniting, and leaguing, and engaging to stand by one
another.’
‘It is much to be regretted,’ said Mrs. Sparsit,
making her nose more Roman and her eyebrows
more Coriolanian in the strength of her severity,
‘that the united masters allow of any such classcombinations.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ said Bitzer.
‘Being united themselves, they ought one and
all to set their faces against employing any man
who is united with any other man,’ said Mrs.
Sparsit.
‘They have done that, ma’am,’ returned Bitzer;
‘but it rather fell through, ma’am.’
‘I do not pretend to understand these things,’
said Mrs. Sparsit, with dignity, ‘my lot having
been signally cast in a widely different sphere;
and Mr. Sparsit, as a Powler, being also quite
out of the pale of any such dissensions. I only
know that these people must be conquered, and
that it’s high time it was done, once for all.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ returned Bitzer, with a demonstration of great respect for Mrs. Sparsit’s oracular authority. ‘You couldn’t put it clearer, I am
sure, ma’am.’
As this was his usual hour for having a little
confidential chat with Mrs. Sparsit, and as he
had already caught her eye and seen that she
was going to ask him something, he made a
pretence of arranging the rulers, inkstands, and
so forth, while that lady went on with her tea,
glancing through the open window, down into
the street.
‘Has it been a busy day, Bitzer?’ asked Mrs.
Sparsit.
‘Not a very busy day, my lady. About an average day.’ He now and then slided into my lady,
instead of ma’am, as an involuntary acknowledgment of Mrs. Sparsit’s personal dignity and
claims to reverence.
‘The clerks,’ said Mrs. Sparsit, carefully brushing an imperceptible crumb of bread and butter
from her left-hand mitten, ‘are trustworthy, punctual, and industrious, of course?’
‘Yes, ma’am, pretty fair, ma’am. With the usual
exception.’
He held the respectable office of general spy
and informer in the establishment, for which
volunteer service he received a present at Christmas, over and above his weekly wage. He had
grown into an extremely clear-headed, cautious,
prudent young man, who was safe to rise in the
world. His mind was so exactly regulated, that
he had no affections or passions. All his proceedings were the result of the nicest and coldest calculation; and it was not without cause that
Mrs. Sparsit habitually observed of him, that he
was a young man of the steadiest principle she
had ever known. Having satisfied himself, on
his father’s death, that his mother had a right of
settlement in Coketown, this excellent young
economist had asserted that right for her with
such a steadfast adherence to the principle of
the case, that she had been shut up in the workhouse ever since. It must be admitted that he
allowed her half a pound of tea a year, which
was weak in him: first, because all gifts have an
inevitable tendency to pauperise the recipient,
and secondly, because his only reasonable transaction in that commodity would have been to
buy it for as little as he could possibly give, and
sell it for as much as he could possibly get; it
having been clearly ascertained by philosophers
that in this is comprised the whole duty of man
— not a part of man’s duty, but the whole.
‘Pretty fair, ma’am. With the usual exception,
ma’am,’ repeated Bitzer.
‘Ah — h!’ said Mrs. Sparsit, shaking her head
over her tea-cup, and taking a long gulp.
‘Mr. Thomas, ma’am, I doubt Mr. Thomas very
much, ma’am, I don’t like his ways at all.’
‘Bitzer,’ said Mrs. Sparsit, in a very impressive
manner, ‘do you recollect my having said anything to you respecting names?’
‘I beg your pardon, ma’am. It’s quite true that
you did object to names being used, and they’re
always best avoided.’
‘Please to remember that I have a charge here,’

Continued on Page 31

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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 31

Observer Classic Books
From Page 30
said Mrs. Sparsit, with her air of state. ‘I hold a
trust here, Bitzer, under Mr. Bounderby. However improbable both Mr. Bounderby and myself might have deemed it years ago, that he
would ever become my patron, making me an
annual compliment, I cannot but regard him in
that light. From Mr. Bounderby I have received
every acknowledgment of my social station, and
every recognition of my family descent, that I
could possibly expect. More, far more. Therefore, to my patron I will be scrupulously true.
And I do not consider, I will not consider, I cannot consider,’ said Mrs. Sparsit, with a most
extensive stock on hand of honour and morality,
‘that I should be scrupulously true, if I allowed
names to be mentioned under this roof, that are
unfortunately — most unfortunately — no doubt
of that — connected with his.’
Bitzer knuckled his forehead again, and again
begged pardon.
‘No, Bitzer,’ continued Mrs. Sparsit, ‘say an individual, and I will hear you; say Mr. Thomas,
and you must excuse me.’
‘With the usual exception, ma’am,’ said Bitzer,
trying back, ‘of an individual.’
‘Ah — h!’ Mrs. Sparsit repeated the ejaculation, the shake of the head over her tea-cup, and
the long gulp, as taking up the conversation again
at the point where it had been interrupted.
‘An individual, ma’am,’ said Bitzer, ‘has never
been what he ought to have been, since he first
came into the place. He is a dissipated, extravagant idler. He is not worth his salt, ma’am. He
wouldn’t get it either, if he hadn’t a friend and
relation at court, ma’am!’
‘Ah — h!’ said Mrs. Sparsit, with another melancholy shake of her head.
‘I only hope, ma’am,’ pursued Bitzer, ‘that his
friend and relation may not supply him with the
means of carrying on. Otherwise, ma’am, we
know out of whose pocket that money comes.’
‘Ah — h!’ sighed Mrs. Sparsit again, with another melancholy shake of her head.
‘He is to be pitied, ma’am. The last party I have
alluded to, is to be pitied, ma’am,’ said Bitzer.
‘Yes, Bitzer,’ said Mrs. Sparsit. ‘I have always
pitied the delusion, always.’
‘As to an individual, ma’am,’ said Bitzer, dropping his voice and drawing nearer, ‘he is as improvident as any of the people in this town. And
you know what their improvidence is, ma’am.
No one could wish to know it better than a lady
of your eminence does.’
‘They would do well,’ returned Mrs. Sparsit, ‘to
take example by you, Bitzer.’
‘Thank you, ma’am. But, since you do refer to
me, now look at me, ma’am. I have put by a
little, ma’am, already. That gratuity which I receive at Christmas, ma’am: I never touch it. I
don’t even go the length of my wages, though
they’re not high, ma’am. Why can’t they do as I
have done, ma’am? What one person can do,
another can do.’
This, again, was among the fictions of
Coketown. Any capitalist there, who had made
sixty thousand pounds out of sixpence, always
professed to wonder why the sixty thousand
nearest Hands didn’t each make sixty thousand
pounds out of sixpence, and more or less reproached them every one for not accomplishing
the little feat. What I did you can do. Why don’t
you go and do it?
‘As to their wanting recreations, ma’am,’ said
Bitzer, ‘it’s stuff and nonsense. I don’t want recreations. I never did, and I never shall; I don’t
like ’em. As to their combining together; there
are many of them, I have no doubt, that by watching and informing upon one another could earn
a trifle now and then, whether in money or good
will, and improve their livelihood. Then, why
don’t they improve it, ma’am! It’s the first consideration of a rational creature, and it’s what
they pretend to want.’
‘Pretend indeed!’ said Mrs. Sparsit.
‘I am sure we are constantly hearing, ma’am,
till it becomes quite nauseous, concerning their
wives and families,’ said Bitzer. ‘Why look at
me, ma’am! I don’t want a wife and family.
Why should they?’
‘Because they are improvident,’ said Mrs.
Sparsit.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ returned Bitzer, ‘that’s where it
is. If they were more provident and less perverse, ma’am, what would they do? They would
say, “While my hat covers my family,” or “while
my bonnet covers my family,” — as the case
might be, ma’am — “I have only one to feed,
and that’s the person I most like to feed.”’
‘To be sure,’ assented Mrs. Sparsit, eating muf-

‘Thank you, ma’am,’ said Bitzer, knuckling his
forehead again, in return for the favour of Mrs.
Sparsit’s improving conversation. ‘Would you
wish a little more hot water, ma’am, or is there
anything else that I could fetch you?’
‘Nothing just now, Bitzer.’
‘Thank you, ma’am. I shouldn’t wish to disturb
you at your meals, ma’am, particularly tea,
knowing your partiality for it,’ said Bitzer, craning a little to look over into the street from where
he stood; ‘but there’s a gentleman been looking
up here for a minute or so, ma’am, and he has
come across as if he was going to knock. That
is his knock, ma’am, no doubt.’
He stepped to the window; and looking out, and
drawing in his head again, confirmed himself
with, ‘Yes, ma’am. Would you wish the gentleman to be shown in, ma’am?’
‘I don’t know who it can be,’ said Mrs. Sparsit,
wiping her mouth and arranging her mittens.
‘A stranger, ma’am, evidently.’
‘What a stranger can want at the Bank at this
time of the evening, unless he comes upon some
business for which he is too late, I don’t know,’
said Mrs. Sparsit, ‘but I hold a charge in this
establishment from Mr. Bounderby, and I will
never shrink from it. If to see him is any part of
the duty I have accepted, I will see him. Use
your own discretion, Bitzer.’
Here the visitor, all unconscious of Mrs. Sparsit’s
magnanimous words, repeated his knock so
loudly that the light porter hastened down to open
the door; while Mrs. Sparsit took the precaution
of concealing her little table, with all its appliances upon it, in a cupboard, and then decamped
up-stairs, that she might appear, if needful, with
the greater dignity.
‘If you please, ma’am, the gentleman would
wish to see you,’ said Bitzer, with his light eye at
Mrs. Sparsit’s keyhole. So, Mrs. Sparsit, who
had improved the interval by touching up her
cap, took her classical features down-stairs
again, and entered the board-room in the manner of a Roman matron going outside the city
walls to treat with an invading general.
The visitor having strolled to the window, and
being then engaged in looking carelessly out,
was as unmoved by this impressive entry as
man could possibly be. He stood whistling to
himself with all imaginable coolness, with his
hat still on, and a certain air of exhaustion upon
him, in part arising from excessive summer, and
in part from excessive gentility. For it was to be
seen with half an eye that he was a thorough
gentleman, made to the model of the time; weary
of everything, and putting no more faith in anything than Lucifer.
‘I believe, sir,’ quoth Mrs. Sparsit, ‘you wished
to see me.’
‘I beg your pardon,’ he said, turning and removing his hat; ‘pray excuse me.’
‘Humph!’ thought Mrs. Sparsit, as she made a
stately bend. ‘Five and thirty, good-looking, good
figure, good teeth, good voice, good breeding,
well-dressed, dark hair, bold eyes.’All which
Mrs. Sparsit observed in her womanly way —
like the Sultan who put his head in the pail of
water — merely in dipping down and coming up
again.
‘Please to be seated, sir,’ said Mrs. Sparsit.
‘Thank you. Allow me.’ He placed a chair for
her, but remained himself carelessly lounging
against the table. ‘I left my servant at the railway looking after the luggage — very heavy
train and vast quantity of it in the van — and
strolled on, looking about me. Exceedingly odd
place. Will you allow me to ask you if it’s always as black as this?’
‘In general much blacker,’ returned Mrs.
Sparsit, in her uncompromising way.
‘Is it possible! Excuse me: you are not a native,
I think?’
‘No, sir,’ returned Mrs. Sparsit. ‘It was once my
good or ill fortune, as it may be — before I became a widow — to move in a very different
sphere. My husband was a Powler.’
‘Beg your pardon, really!’ said the stranger. ‘Was
—?’
Mrs. Sparsit repeated, ‘A Powler.’
‘Powler Family,’ said the stranger, after reflecting a few moments. Mrs. Sparsit signified assent. The stranger seemed a little more fatigued
than before.
‘You must be very much bored here?’ was the
inference he drew from the communication.
‘I am the servant of circumstances, sir,’ said
Mrs. Sparsit, ‘and I have long adapted myself to
the governing power of my life.’
‘Very philosophical,’returned the stranger, ‘and
very exemplary and laudable, and — ‘ It seemed

to be scarcely worth his while to finish the sentence, so he played with his watch-chain wearily.
‘May I be permitted to ask, sir,’ said Mrs. Sparsit,
‘to what I am indebted for the favour of — ’
‘Assuredly,’ said the stranger. ‘Much obliged to
you for reminding me. I am the bearer of a letter
of introduction to Mr. Bounderby, the banker.
Walking through this extraordinarily black town,
while they were getting dinner ready at the hotel, I asked a fellow whom I met; one of the
working people; who appeared to have been taking a shower-bath of something fluffy, which I
assume to be the raw material — ’
Mrs. Sparsit inclined her head.
‘ — Raw material — where Mr. Bounderby, the
banker, might reside. Upon which, misled no
doubt by the word Banker, he directed me to the
Bank. Fact being, I presume, that Mr. Bounderby
the Banker does not reside in the edifice in which
I have the honour of offering this explanation?’
‘No, sir,’ returned Mrs. Sparsit, ‘he does not.’
‘Thank you. I had no intention of delivering
myletter at the present moment, nor have I. But
strolling on to the Bank to kill time, and having
the good fortune to observe at the window,’ towards which he languidly waved his hand, then
slightly bowed, ‘a lady of a very superior and
agreeable appearance, I considered that I could
not do better than take the liberty of asking that
lady where Mr. Bounderby the Banker does live.
Which I accordingly venture, with all suitable
apologies, to do.’
The inattention and indolence of his manner
were sufficiently relieved, to Mrs. Sparsit’s thinking, by a certain gallantry at ease, which offered her homage too. Here he was, for instance, at this moment, all but sitting on the table,
and yet lazily bending over her, as if he acknowledged an attraction in her that made her
charming — in her way.
‘Banks, I know, are always suspicious, and officially must be,’ said the stranger, whose lightness and smoothness of speech were pleasant
likewise; suggesting matter far more sensible
and humorous than it ever contained — which
was perhaps a shrewd device of the founder of
this numerous sect, whosoever may have been
that great man: ‘therefore I may observe that
my letter — here it is — is from the member for
this place — Gradgrind — whom I have had the
pleasure of knowing in London.’
Mrs. Sparsit recognized the hand, intimated that
such confirmation was quite unnecessary, and
gave Mr. Bounderby’s address, with all needful
clues and directions in aid.
‘Thousand thanks,’ said the stranger. ‘Of course
you know the Banker well?’
‘Yes, sir,’ rejoined Mrs. Sparsit. ‘In my dependent relation towards him, I have known him ten
years.’
‘Quite an eternity! I think he married Gradgrind’s
daughter?’
‘Yes,’said Mrs. Sparsit, suddenly compressing
her mouth, ‘he had that — honour.’
‘The lady is quite a philosopher, I am told?’
‘Indeed, sir,’ said Mrs. Sparsit. ‘Is she?’
‘Excuse my impertinent curiosity,’ pursued the
stranger, fluttering over Mrs. Sparsit’s eyebrows,
with a propitiatory air, ‘but you know the family,
and know the world. I am about to know the
family, and may have much to do with them. Is
the lady so very alarming? Her father gives her
such a portentously hard-headed reputation, that
I have a burning desire to know. Is she absolutely unapproachable? Repellently and stunningly clever? I see, by your meaning smile,
you think not. You have poured balm into my
anxious soul. As to age, now. Forty? Five and
thirty?’
Mrs. Sparsit laughed outright. ‘A chit,’ said she.
‘Not twenty when she was married.’
‘I give you my honour, Mrs. Powler,’ returned
the stranger, detaching himself from the table,
‘that I never was so astonished in my life!’
It really did seem to impress him, to the utmost
extent of his capacity of being impressed. He
looked at his informant for full a quarter of a
minute, and appeared to have the surprise in his
mind all the time. ‘I assure you, Mrs. Powler,’
he then said, much exhausted, ‘that the father’s
manner prepared me for a grim and stony maturity. I am obliged to you, of all things, for correcting so absurd a mistake. Pray excuse my
intrusion. Many thanks. Good day!’
He bowed himself out; and Mrs. Sparsit, hiding
in the window curtain, saw him languishing down
the street on the shady side of the way, observed
of all the town.
‘What do you think of the gentleman, Bitzer?’

she asked the light porter, when he came to take
away.
‘Spends a deal of money on his dress, ma’am.’
‘It must be admitted,’ said Mrs. Sparsit, ‘that it’s
very tasteful.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ returned Bitzer, ‘if that’s worth
the money.’
‘Besides which, ma’am,’ resumed Bitzer, while
he was polishing the table, ‘he looks to me as if
he gamed.’
‘It’s immoral to game,’ said Mrs. Sparsit.
‘It’s ridiculous, ma’am,’ said Bitzer, ‘because
the chances are against the players.’
Whether it was that the heat prevented Mrs.
Sparsit from working, or whether it was that her
hand was out, she did no work that night. She sat
at the window, when the sun began to sink behind the smoke; she sat there, when the smoke
was burning red, when the colour faded from it,
when darkness seemed to rise slowly out of the
ground, and creep upward, upward, up to the
house-tops, up the church steeple, up to the summits of the factory chimneys, up to the sky. Without a candle in the room, Mrs. Sparsit sat at the
window, with her hands before her, not thinking
much of the sounds of evening; the whooping of
boys, the barking of dogs, the rumbling of wheels,
the steps and voices of passengers, the shrill
street cries, the clogs upon the pavement when
it was their hour for going by, the shutting-up of
shop-shutters. Not until the light porter announced that her nocturnal sweetbread was
ready, did Mrs. Sparsit arouse herself from her
reverie, and convey her dense black eyebrows
— by that time creased with meditation, as if
they needed ironing out-up-stairs.
‘O, you Fool!’ said Mrs. Sparsit, when she was
alone at her supper. Whom she meant, she did
not say; but she could scarcely have meant the
sweetbread.
Chapter II— Mr. James Harthouse
THE Gradgrind party wanted assistance in cutting the throats of the Graces. They went about
recruiting; and where could they enlist recruits
more hopefully, than among the fine gentlemen
who, having found out everything to be worth
nothing, were equally ready for anything?
Moreover, the healthy spirits who had mounted
to this sublime height were attractive to many of
the Gradgrind school. They liked fine gentlemen; they pretended that they did not, but they
did. They became exhausted in imitation of
them; and they yaw-yawed in their speech like
them; and they served out, with an enervated
air, the little mouldy rations of political economy,
on which they regaled their disciples. There
never before was seen on earth such a wonderful hybrid race as was thus produced.
Among the fine gentlemen not regularly belonging to the Gradgrind school, there was one of a
good family and a better appearance, with a
happy turn of humour which had told immensely
with the House of Commons on the occasion of
his entertaining it with his (and the Board of Directors) view of a railway accident, in which
the most careful officers ever known, employed
by the most liberal managers ever heard of, assisted by the finest mechanical contrivances
ever devised, the whole in action on the best
line ever constructed, had killed five people and
wounded thirty-two, by a casualty without which
the excellence of the whole system would have
been positively incomplete. Among the slain was
a cow, and among the scattered articles unowned, a widow’s cap. And the honourable
member had so tickled the House (which has a
delicate sense of humour) by putting the cap on
the cow, that it became impatient of any serious
reference to the Coroner’s Inquest, and brought
the railway off with Cheers and Laughter.
Now, this gentleman had a younger brother of
still better appearance than himself, who had
tried life as a Cornet of Dragoons, and found it a
bore; and had afterwards tried it in the train of
an English minister abroad, and found it a bore;
and had then strolled to Jerusalem, and got bored
there; and had then gone yachting about the
world, and got bored everywhere. To whom this
honourable and jocular, member fraternally said
one day, ‘Jem, there’s a good opening among
the hard Fact fellows, and they want men. I
wonder you don’t go in for statistics.’ Jem, rather
taken by the novelty of the idea, and very hard
up for a change, was as ready to ‘go in’ for
statistics as for anything else. So, he went in. He
coached himself up with a blue-book or two;
and his brother put it about among the hard Fact
fellows, and said, ‘If you want to bring in, for
any place, a handsome dog who can make you
a devilish good speech, look after my brother
Jem, for he’s your man.’

To Be Continued Next Issue

Page 32 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

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Used sprint lane to perfection
■ Parwan owner/breeder Brad Barnes scored
an impressive victory with a 4Y0 mare by the
name of Redriverdeeba at Ararat on Tuesdat
May 8, taking out the AHRC Members Trotters
Mobile for T0 & T1 class over 2195 metres.
Trained by father David and by Greg Sugars, Redriverdebba fist up since August last year
began safely from gate two on the second line
to settle three back along the markers as
polemarker Bill Dispute led.
Easing away from the inside shortly after to
be mid-field, Sugars sent the daughter of Red
River Hanover and Seattle Grace forward three
wide with the race changing complexion when
the leader galloped disorganising the field which
allowed her to drop to the back of Armbro Hugh
which had been outside the pacemaker.
Travelling comfortably, Red Riverdebba used
the sprint lane to perfection on straightening to
record a 4.1 metre victory over Armbro Hugh
and Mizurri (three wide home turn) after being
severely checked in the earlier incident. The
mile rate 2-03.6.

Pressured racing

■ Coimadai trainer Steve Zammitt combined
with Greg Sugars to land the HRV Hero Pace
for C2 & C3 class over 2195 metres at Ararat
with last week's eye catcher Platinum Power in
a rate of 2-01.1.
Leading out from the pole, Platinum Power a
5Y0 Modern Art-Awesome Powers mare was
pressured racing for the bell by a hard pulling
All Jokers Todaright resulting in Sugars conceding and allowing it to assume control.
Using the sprint lane, Platinum Power ran
home nicely to score by 2.5 metres from All
Jokers To Daright, with the disappointing long
odds-on favourite Bee Gees Bandit 1.8 metres
back in third place after racing exposed for the
final circuit.

Sprinted sharply

■ At Yarra Valley on Monday May 7, Art Major-Radical Storm colt Muscle Up Major was a
strong victor of the St Ronan's Cider Pace for
C0 class over 2150 metres for Lancefield
trainer/driver Rod Petroff.
Taken back at the start from outside the front
line, Muscle Major sprinted sharply in the last
lap to join the leader and favourite Admiral approaching the home turn and in a head and head
battle all the way up the running, prevailed by a
half neck in a 2-02.2 rate. Bye Bye Barbie (one/
one) was 4.7 metres away in third place.

First-ever winner

■ Local area (Croydon) trainer Larraine
McKenzie was all smiles at Yarra Valley when
her 4Y0 Bettors Delight-Narree Rose gelding
Royal Bettor greeted the judge in the Integrity
Real Estate Pace for C0 & C1 class over 1650
metres.
Driven by Tasmanian concessional reinsman
Jack Laugher, Royal Bettor led throughout from
the pole, accounting for Moreliner which shadowed him all the way by 2.5 metres in a rate of
2-00.2. Dangerous Women was 3 metres back
in third place after being held up three back the
markers. It was Larraine's first ever winner.

Parked outside

■ North East Victoria (Norong) trainer Mark
Buckingham's very honest 8Y0 Modern Art-Miss
North gelding Nor Nor West was strong in winning the Zonzo Estate Pace for C3 & C4 class
over 1650 metres at Yarra Valley.
Taking a concession for Brad Chisholm, Nor
Nor West from outside the front line spent the
entire race parked outside the leader Four
Starzzz Forsa (gate three) before dashing clear
at the straight entrance to register a 3.2 metre
victory over the pacemaker in 1-55.4. Mister
Zhivago (three wide last lap) was third a neck
away.

Pinged away

■ Wednesday racing was at Ballarat and

Harness Racing

ballarattrottingclub.com.au 3Y0 Trotters Handicap at Ballarat on Wednesday. Driven by Zac
Phillips, Aldebaran Jaytee was given a sweet
trip three back the markers after stepping cleanly
from inside the second line.
Angling a passage in-between runners in the
long straight, Aldebaran Jaytee finished full of
running to gain the day 9.1 metres at Supertab
odds of $110 over Godof-thunder and another
roughie Bebubbalouie, returning a rate of 2-07.9.

1

Melbourne

Observer

len-baker@
bigpond.com

with Len Baker
Kyneton part-owner/trainer Greg Leight's run
of luck continued when bold front running Lawman-Kellybrooke 7Y0 gelding Law Legend
scored in the Diamond Rewards Join Now Trotters Handicap for T2 or better class over 2200
metres.
Taking a concession for Jack Laugher, Law
Legend pinged away from the pole and rated a
treat, held too many guns for Armchair Drive
(one/one - three wide home turn) to gain a 3
metre margin, with Chrisken Kiosk 3.5 metres
away in third place after racing in the open. The
mile rate 2-05.1.

Top night at home

■ Burrumbeet reinsman Mick Stanley enjoyed
a great night at his home track, chalking up a
driving quartet of winners including three from
his own stable.
Three year old Rock N Roll Heaven-Victoria
Street gelding Rackemup Tigerpie was first to
arrive in the DNR Logistics 3Y0 Pace over 1710
metres.
Trained by father Ian at Woolsthorpe,
Rackemup Tigerpie raced exposed from gate
two outside Believe In Forever (gate three), outstaying his rivals to register a 1.5 metre victory
in 1-55.9 from The Hervey Bay (one/one) and
Believe In Forever which held down third 6
metres away.
Next to arrive was beautifully bred Lombo
Pocket Watch-Lombo La Fe Fe 5Y0 gelding
Mighty Moke Lombo in the 2200 metre Variety
Club Cap 321 Pace for C1 class.
With stable assistant Ryan Duffy in the sulky,
Mighty Moke Lombo led all of the way from the
pole to easily account for Ima Showgirl (one/
one at bell) by 9.3 metres in a 1-59 rate.
Shady Dancer came from last to be third a
head away.
Betterthancheddar-Charlotte Church colt
Watch List led throughout in the Flying Horse
Bistro Vicbred Home Grown Classic (Heat 1)
for 2Y0 Colts & Geldings over 1710 metres after the hot favourite Huli Nien galloped running
into the first turn.
Although Im Sir Blake which had been
parked all of the way tried hard, Watch List kept
on giving to score by a head in 1-56.5. Sahara
Tiger (three back the markers) was third 10.9
metres back.
Seven year old Real Desire-Ally Luvzit gelding Jedi Mind looked well graded in the
BDTC150 On Twitter Pace for C5 to C7 class
over 2200 metres and that's the way it panned
out.
Enjoying the run of the race from gate four
trailing the front runner Reign Of Pain, Jedi Mind
got clear in plenty of time and ran home best to
prevail by 3.2 metres in a rate of 2-00.3. Our Sir
Ivanhoe was third 10.5 metres away after following the pair.

Won at 100/1 odds

■ It's not often that a horse wins at TAB odds in
excess of 100/1, however that's what occurred
when Bolinda trainer Paul Males' Yeild BokoAldebaran Crumpet gelding Aldebaran Jaytee
greeted the judge in the 2200 metre

■ Maryborough home of the trotter staged seven
squaregaiting events on Thursday with the Aldebaran Park "Monte" over 1690 metres opening
proceedings which was taken out by ex-Kiwi
7Y0 Muscle Mass-Starcus mare Zhenya.
Trained by Jodi Quinlan in Parwan, Zhenya with
Emma Hamblin in the saddle was having her
first start in a ridden event and after stepping
cleanly from 10 metres, lobbed along nicely midfield as Waiting Room led. Poised just off the
leaders on the final bend, Zhenya ironically raced
by Aldebaran Lodge Pty Ltd surged to the front
halfway up the running to record a 10.4 metre
margin in advance of the Steve Martin
stablemates Shiftywall and Billy Phelps returning a mile rate of 2-03. Chances are that Zhenya
will now retire a winner and head for the breeding barn.
The other winners were : Saint Germain (Orlando Vici-Top Of The Anvils) for Anton Golino
and Jason Lee, Georgias Pride (Bacardi Lindy-

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● Catherine Davies and Josh Price in Sydney
Theatre Company and Malthouse Theatre
Company’s production of Going Down.
Photos: Brett Boardman
■ Among-Australian writer Natalie’s semi-autobiographical, sex-positive debut novel, Banana Girl, has hit the
shelves of the Nagambie local library where she is enthusiastically giving a reading at a book talk, much to the consternation of the locals.
“Where are you from?” an audience member asks.
“Canberra.” “No. where are you really from?”
Later, in a bar in SoBo (south of Bell Street), Natalie
rails against the unfairness of being compared to her archrival, Lu Lu Jayadi, a former Indonesian refugee who
has written the stereotypical migrant story and in the process, has won the prestigious Miles Franklin Award.
Written by Michelle Lee, this play has won a slew of
awards and deservedly so. Themes of gender, sexuality,
race and status sit alongside the often-side-splitting comedy of Going Down.
Tightly directed by Leticia Cáceres, this show is fresh
and fabulous.
Catherine Davies as Natalie is a firecracker. She explodes with energy embracing all aspects of this part from
the physical to the comedic and is a tour de force.
Davies is ably assisted onstage by the ensemble cast of
Naomi Rukavina, Paul Blenheim, Jenny Wu and Josh
Price.
An inventive set and clever costuming by The Sisters
Hayes visually expand Lee’s probing questions of social
class and taste.
Lee’s characters grapple with difficult and often conflicting issues of gender, identity and class wrapped up in
laugh-out-loud comedy.
At the same time, Lee forces her audience to recognise
their class prejudices and question their assumptions about
race.
It is both funny and painful how easily we can recognise
the stereotypes.
Performance Season: Until June 3
Venue: Malthouse Theatre, Southbank
Bookings: http://malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/going-down
- Review by Kathryn Keeble

● Catherine Davies

● Robert Harsley (Doug Hastings) and dancers in flashback Samba sequence. Photo: Ben Fon
■ An exciting new version of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom, The Musical premieres in Melbourne at the National
Theatre until May 26.
CLOC Musical Theatre’s revised production features an additional number of new songs composed by Eddie Perfect.
Perfect’s observational lyrics with topics including the ‘war’
element of competitive ballroom dancing, and parental perspective of sacrifice, dreams and trophies, bring welcome insightful
depth to this fabulously frothy, colourful show.
Award-winning ballroom dancer Scott Hastings yearns to
dance his own style from the heart, challenging the dance-sport
establishment’s entrenched tradition and mother Shirley’s
dreams for his future.
Spanish and Aussie cultures merge when fledgling dancer
Fran and her family inspire Scott to dance in the Championships, his way.
Directed and choreographed by Craig Wiltshire, this slickpaced show features a terrific cast of principals and ensemble
of fine dancers, who also deliver good harmonies during the
visually spectacular routines.
● Arts centre at former Police stables
Musical Director Malcolm Fawcett’s orchestra renders well
the show’s diverse musical genres including ballads, Latin
■ The Victorian Government Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley this week (Monday, May 14) opened the
American, pop, rock and Spanish.
former Victoria Police Mounted Branch stables.
Dylan Henry (Scott Hastings) and Kristen Mihalos (Fran)
The Stables have been transformed into world-class
utilise their beautiful vocal and dance talents to capture the huteaching
and learning facilities for students of the Univerman aspects of their lives, and shared passion for dancing.
sity of Melbourne’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, folStrong performances were also enjoyed from Robert Harsley
lowing an $18 million make-over.
(Doug Hastings), Lee Threadgold (Barry Fife), Melanie Ott
The Stables feature a new visual arts wing with 170
(Tina Sparkle), Elizabeth Garnsworthy (Shirley Hastings),
studios and flexible exhibition spaces and the former riding
Elizabeth Matjacic (Abuela), Phil Lambert (Les Kendall),Tim
school has been converted into a 260-seat multipurpose arts
wing for theatre, dance, music theatre and music perforRyan (Rico), Lauren Edwards (Liz Holt), Tailem Tynan
mances.
(Vanessa), Thomas O’Reilly (Wayne Burns), David Torr (Ken
The Stables were purpose-built in 1912 as part of the old
Railings), Ashley Weidner (J. J.Silvers) and young stars of the
Police
Depot, which included a hospital, barracks and drill
future, Charlotte Barnard and Isaac Pearson.
hall.
Superb costumes comprising stunningly rich colours, sparkle
The $18 million refurbishment of The Stables was made
and feathers, were created by 20 volunteer sewers working since
possible through the significant support of the University of
last November under designer Victoria Horne’s skilled direcMelbourne and generous philanthropists including The Ian
Potter Foundation, The Myer Foundation and Martyn
tion.
and Louise Myer.
BradAlcock’s lighting design and magnificent coloured patUniversity of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor said the
terns enhance aesthetics, while Wiltshire’s set design believheritage
features of the former police stables had been
ably transports audiences between dance-world surreality, and
maintained through the preservation of its bluestone mountFran’s family Milk Bar reality.
ing yards, red brick façade and iconic octagonal roof and
A key message in this show is to dance our own steps through
skylight, formerly referred to by Mounted Branch staff as
life. Best start by stepping out to see this top show by May 26.
‘The Dome’.
Performance Season: Until May 26
“The Southbank campus transformation offers the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music tremendous opportunities to
Venue: National Theatre, 20 Carlisle St., St Kilda.
expand community engagement.”
Bookings: www.cloc.org.au 1300 362 547
Turn To Page 00
- Review by Cheryl Threadgold

■ Geelong band Canyon will perform their
unique blend of American alt country, folk
and West coast harmony at The Satellite
Lounge, Village Green Hotel in Mulgrave
on Saturday, June 2.

Della’s new song

■ Local singer songwriter Della Harris has
released her second single from her self
titled EP.
My Turn Now was inspired by sitting in a
doctor's waiting room supporting her elderly
mother. Della says it's a poignant song dealing with how as our parents age it is our
opportunity to turn the tide and be more active in the care for them. “My songs are
stories about mine and other people's lives,
relationships and everyday stuff we can all
relate to,” she adds.
- Rob Foenander

Birth of modern art
From Page 9
The exhibition looks at the Japanese reverence for the natural world and the ways in which
this theme was transposed into European art. It
will also showcase a range of decorative arts
that reference these key Japanese themes, including flora, fauna and the landscape. Such
objects emulate a Japanese regard for organic
forms, vibrant colours ad sensual textures derived from nature.
Exhibition: May 26 - October 28.
National Gallery of Victoria
150 St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne
- Peter Kemp

Wednesday Thursday
May 17
May 16
■ Actor Henry Fonda
was born in Nebraska
in 1905. He died aged
77 in 1982.
Liberace (Wladziu
Liberace), flamboyant
pianist, was born in
1919. He died aged 67
in 1987.
Irish actor Pierce
Brosnan was born in
1953 (65). He played
James Bond.

Melbourne
Arts
With
Peter
Kemp

Jazz Festival

■ NGV partners with Melbourne International
Jazz Festival for jazz-themed Friday nights winter series.
In a series of performances in partnership
with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival,
at the NGV comes alive after dark with the
eclectic sounds of jazz during this season of
NGV Friday Nights.
Heading the event will be Brooklyn-based,
contemporary trumpeter Maurice Brown whose
hip-hop funk combo has seen him record with
leading artists including Florence and Machine,
Wyclef Jean, Macy Gray and The Roots.
Curated to reflect a varied range of musical
experiences, the program draws inspiration from
the home of jazz, New York city with rhythmic
stylings including the Great American Songbook
neo-soul, gospel, jazz blues, hip-hop and funk.
The late-night art and music series runs
alongside the NGV's Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition MoMA at NGV - 130 Years
of Modern and Contemporary Art.
NGV Friday Nights June 15 - October 8. 6pm
- 10pm.
National Gallery of Victoria
International Jazz Festival
150 St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne
- Peter Kemp

■ The late Professor
Julius Sumner-Miller was
born in the US in 1909.
He died aged 78 in
1987.
Actor Dennis Hopper,
best known for Easy
Rider, was born in 1936.
He died aged 74 in
2010.
Irish singer/songwriter
Enya (Eithne Ni Bhraonain)
was born 57 years ago.

Starman

Heide Museum
House of Ideas
The home of John and Sunday Reed between
1935 and 1967, the Heide 1 cottage was a hub
of progressive thinking and modernist ideas that
centred on art, but which extended to literature,
politics, and sociology.
The rise of Communism and Fascism in the
1930s and 1940s and the spectre of World War
II spurred urgent debate concerning the role of
the artist and the imperative of creative freedom.
Drawing on aspects of the European art
movements of Cubism, Surrealism and Expressionism, and their own personal experiences,
the artists of the Heide Circle forged a new humanist, antipodean modernism, the hallmark of
which was a shift from objective to subjective
reality.
Exhibition: May 26 - November 11.
Strange Neighbour X Heide:
Darkroom Workshop
Strange Neighbour, 395 - 397 Gore St.
Fitzroy. Director of artist studios Strange
Neighbour, Linsey Gosper, demonstrates the
magical process of fibre-based hand printing to
create black and white photographs in an intimate afternoon workshop.
Participants will be introduced to various
paper types and printing techniques and take
home their own hand printed enlargements> No
experience necessary. Places are limited.
Sunday May 26 1 - 4pm.
History Tour Past and Present.
Learn about the fascinating history of Heide
from the early days when John and Sunday Reed
first purchased the property in 1934 through to
its evolution into a museum of modern and contemporary art and public sculpture park.
Every Sunday until May 27.At 2pm.
Heide Museum of Modern Art
7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen
- Peter Kemp

● Sven Ratzke in Starman
■ Arts Centre Melbourne presents the Victorian premiere of the international smash hit
Starman by Dutch/German entertainer Sven
Ratzke on June 14 at The Playhouse, Arts
Centre Melbourne
A starburst cabaret and rock show experience inspired by the music of the legend that
was David Bowie, Starman takes the audience on a crazy, intimate, rock'n'roll ride.
Entering the hyper-real world of seventies
glam-rock, Helpmann Award nominee,
Ratzke inhabits Bowie’s multiple personas –
a mad, bizarre, androgynous universe.
Ratzke will be accompanied on stage by
his three-man band who make the music
groove from rock into sound collages and intimate moments.
Entertainer and singer Sven Ratzke is a
seasoned performer, spending 48 weeks of
the year touring the world.
From sold out shows at Lincoln Center in
New York, to the Royal Concertgebouw in
Amsterdam, to the famous Berliner Ensemble
in Berlin. Ratzke’s style and talent is unique.
He combines high culture with elements
of cabaret and vaudeville.
He can be a crooner, but also a cool rocker
with the touch of Berlin golden twenties in his
blood. Ratzke transforms legendary material
from classics like Brecht/Weill or pop legend
David Bowie into something you have never
experienced before.
Ratzke has won countless awards, writes
for newspapers and theatre, has released several CD’s and has his own TV show, Ratzke’s
Rendevous which has recently been broadcast throughout Germany and Holland.
Performance Details: June 14 at 7.30pm
Venue: The Playhouse, Arts Centre
Melbourne
Duration: Two hours including interval
Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au or
1300 182 183.
- Cheryl Threadgold
Melbourne

Observer

Friday
May 18

Saturday
May 19

■ American singer
Perry Como was born in
1912. He died aged 88
in 1901.
Australian record
producer Ron Tudor is
94 today. He was born
in Gippsland in 1924.
Dwayne Hickman
(Dobie Gills) celebrates today.
Newsreader Sandra
Sully was born in in 1965

■ Dame Nellie Melba
(Helen Mitchell) was born
on this day in 1861 at
Lilydale. She died aged 69
in 1931.
Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, was
born in 1945.
Actress Claudia Karvan
was born in Sydney in
1972 (46).
Actor Nancy Kwan was
born in 1939.

Sunday
May 20
■ Actor
Jimmy
Stewart was born in
1908. He died aged 89
in 1997.
The late musician
Joe Cocker was born in
Sheffield, England, in
1944.
Cher (Cherilyn Le
Pierre) was born in
California in 1946. The
singer and actresss is
74.

Monday
May 21

■ Jazz pianist and composer Fats Waller was born
in 1904.
He died aged 39 in
1943.
Perry Mason’s Raymond Burr was born in
Canada in 1917. He died
aged 76 in 1993.
Singer and musician
Joe Camilleri was born in
Malta in 1948 (70). His
band was Jo Jo Zep.

Tuesday
May 22
■ Scottish writer Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle was
born in Edinburgh in
1859. He died aged 71
in 1930.
US-born radio and
TV host Bob Dyer
(Dies) was born in
1909. He died aged 74
in 1984.
Singer Linda Goerge
was born in England in
1949 (69).

Thanks to GREG NEWMAN of Jocks Journal for assistance with birthday and anniversary dates.
Jocks Journal is Australia’s longest running radio industry
publication.
■ Melbourne
Find out more at www.jocksjournal.com

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 59

Observer Showbiz

TV, Radio, Theatre

Playwright comp.
■ After 16 years and some 60 original winning One Act Plays, the 17th year competition hosted by Playhouse Players Inc. is calling for entries from novice and amateur playwrights to provide works suitable for premiere
performance and cash awards.
There is no restriction regarding topic,
theme, gender or basis of play with all entries
being judged by an independent judging panel,
nominating three finalists, appointment of directors and casting prior going into a rehearsal
period ready for a four performance premiere season.
Many past winning entries are being performed Australia-wide in One Act Play Festivals, community theatres and schools while
being read by play reading groups.
Entries close July 30 with the finalist plays
being performed in November in Melbourne.
All details and entry form are available on
www.playhouseplayers.org.au or email
playhouseplayers@hotmail.com
- Graeme McCoubrie
From Page 00

Horses to Courses
■ University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine
Arts and Music Dean Barry Conyngham
said The Stables redevelopment, part of the
University’s $200 million Southbank campus redevelopment, will offer world-class facilities to the growing student cohort at
Southbank.
“We are responding to a 66 per cent increase in our student numbers since 2010.
One way we’re doing that is through renovating and changing existing buildings – most
spectacularly, the conversion of the old Police Stables into a new facility for visual arts
and performing arts,” Professor Conyngham
said.
Minister Foley said: “This project has
breathed new life into The Stables and created another landmark for the Melbourne
Arts Precinct, which is home to one of the
highest concentrations of arts and cultural
organisations in the world.”
- Cheryl Threadgold

Tubular Bells

■ Arts Centre Melbourne presents the multiaward winning Tubular Bells For Two in The
Playhouse theatre on June 15 and 16.
Many people who grew up through the
70s can say where they were when they first
heard Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. The
album was the first release on Richard
Branson's fledgling record label, Virgin
Records, selling over 30 million copies, kickstarting the Virgin empire, and becoming the
soundtrack to the cult-classic film The Exorcist.
Now, more than 40 years on, two talented
multi-instrumentalists - Daniel Holdsworth
(who co-created the show with Aidan Roberts in 2010) and Thomas Bamford - will juggle
over 20 instruments live on stage during the
performance of Oldfield’s 1973 classic composition.
The pair are literally rushed off their feet
as they dash around a sea of instruments. It is
an intricately choreographed, piece of tightrope theatre and musicianship, where the
slightest mistake or misplaced limb can bring
the entire show crashing to a halt.
Beginning as a one-off performance conjured up after one too many bottles of wine,
the show has grown and developed to critical
acclaim.
Creators Holdsworth and Roberts premiered Tubular Bells for Two at the Sydney
Fringe Festival in 2010, where they impressively won the Best Music Moment award.
Performance Dates: June 15 and 16
Venue: Playhouse, Arts Centre Melbourne
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.
com.au
- Cheryl Threadgold

Dancing on the Volcano
■ Arts Centre Melbourne presents Robyn
Archer’s Dancing on the Volcano , from July 9 –
11 in the Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre, Melbourne
Having dazzled Australia and the world with
her virtuosity and interpretation of the classic
European cabaret repertoire, Robyn Archer returns to Arts Centre Melbourne, with this biting,
satirical journey through Berlin cabaret of the
20s and 30s .
There was a moment in Germany, between
the two great world wars, when cabaret thrived
in an atmosphere which commentators described as ‘dancing on the volcano’.
While the era began with relief that the war
was over, it exploded rapidly into the worst excesses of Nazism.
An authentic interpretation of the repertoire,
these songs written between 1919 and 1933 tell
that dramatic story through a hearty dose of
Brecht and Weill, Brecht and Eisler, Friedrich
Hollaender ( Falling in Love Again ), Wilhelm
Grosz (Red Sails in the Sunset), Kurt Tucholsky,
Frank Wedekind, Mischa Spoliansky and more.
Teaming up with long-time musical collaborators, Michael Morley (piano) and George
Butrumlis (accordion), Robyn Archer says of the
show: “It never fails to surprise us, every time
we perform this repertoire, how pertinent many
of the songs remain.”
“For this season for instance, we have brought
back one of the hits from Brecht and Weill’s
The Threepenny Opera, The Ballad of Sexual
Obsession – for obvious 21st century reasons.
“It’s a wild ride, this one, from funny songs
about human behaviour at the start, to devastating commentary on what happened as Hitler rose
to power, a period of just 14 years. It’s a timeless warning about how quickly things can change
and how complacency is inexcusable.”
Robyn Archer’s latest performances of the
cabaret repertoire (French, German and American) have drawn enthusiastic audiences and high
praise.
She won the Helpmann Award for best Cabaret Performer 2013 and was named Cabaret Icon
at the 2016 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
The Sound of Falling Stars , which she wrote
and directed , is touring Australia in 2018 to standing ovations.
In addition to her award-winning, one-woman
shows, Robyn is also known and admired as the
Artistic Director of memorable arts festivals in
Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania.
She has recorded 12 albums and her writing
includes essays, songs, works for the theatre and
children’s books.
Robyn currently chairs HOTA Home of the
Arts, Gold Coast and the Master of Arts (Cultural Leadership) at NIDA.
She is an ABR Laureate, an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy for the Humanities, an Officer of the Order of Australia, Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
and Officer of the Crown (Belgium) and also
holds honorary doctorates from Flinders University (South Australia), Griffith University
(Queensland) and the Universities of Sydney,
Canberra and Adelaide.
Michael Morley (piano) is currently Emeritus Professor of Drama at Flinders University.
He has written widely on European and German theatre, concentrating particularly on the
life and work of Bertolt Brecht and has served
as President of the International Brecht Society.
Michael has written about music, theatre and
literary criticism for a variety of Australian and
international publications, and has translated
poetry by pianist Alfred Brendel, most recently
for the English version of Brendel’sA Pianist’s A
to Z.
In 2012 Michael was awarded the South Australian Premier’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.
George Butrumlis (accordion) has played the
piano accordion since the age of six. His career
includes performances with Jeannie Lewis,
Kristina Olsen, Ross Hannaford, Melbourne

● Robyn Archer
Symphony Orchestra, the Three Tenors and
Pavarotti’s last tour of Australia. George has
played on countless Australian movie
soundtracks including Red Dog, The Sound of
One Hand Clapping, Lillian’s Story and most
recently the film about the life of Mirka Mora,
Monsieur Mayonnaise.
George is probably most well-known for his
band Zydeco Jump, which featured on the bill
of many Australian music festivals for over
twenty years and as a founding member of Joe
Camilleri’s Black Sorrows.
George has served a three-year term on the
music board of the Australia Council for the Arts
and has recently become director of the
Melbourne Accordion Orchestra.
He describes working with Archer and
Morley for the past eight years or so as a great
privilege and one of the greatest musical experiences of his life.
Performance Dates: July 9 – 11 at 8pm
Venue: Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
Duration: 90 minutes (no interval)
Tickets www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
(or 1300 182 183)
- Cheryl Threadgold

African Intelligence

■ Hawthorn Arts Centre will come alive when
10-piece ensemble, The African Intelligence,
led by Senegalese singer and dancer Lamine
Sonko, perform a percussive blend of jazz, funk,
afrobeat, reggae and salsa on Friday, June 22.
The band captivates audiences with funky
baselines, swift guitar riffs, smooth grooves and
a message with meaning, keeping audiences
on their feet from beginning to end.
Lamine Sonko is pushing boundaries with
his signature fusion of African roots music, jazz,
Latin and afro-classical soul.
Lamine has travelled to the USA, France
and South Africa, performing at major international festivals and significant venues, such as
the South by Southwest festival in Texas,
WOMADelaide, Byron Bay Blues Fest, Port
Fairy Folk Festival, White Night Melbourne, Fed
Square NYE, and Arts Centre Melbourne.
image
Last year, Lamine Sonko and The African
Intelligence released their debut album, Afro
E,pire, inspired by two recent trips to West Africa, infusing their afro beats with a new wave
of future rhythms direct from the continent. The
album went on to win ‘Best Global or Reggae
Album’ at The Age Music Victoria Awards 2017.
With a first-class line up of Australia’s finest
world musicians, this band charms and engages
its audiences with their own fusion of contemporary and traditional African rhythms.
The historic Hawthorn Arts Centre will come
alive with a performance that is exhilarating,
dance-filled and infectious.
HawthornArts Centre
360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn

Earnest

● Alfred Kouris (Algernon) in
The Importance of Being Earnest.
Photo: James Lew.
■ Monash Uni Student Theatre (MUST)
presents Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of
Being Earnest from May 24 to June 2 at the
MUST Space, Monash University, Clayton.
Directed by Bernd Faveere, assisted by
Georgie Wolfe, The Importance of Being
Earnest tells of Jack Worthing and Algernon
Moncrieff feeling tired of their arduous social obligations and cunningly adopting double
lives, under the name of ‘Ernest’.
All goes well until they fall in love with the
ravishing Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily
Cardew, and struggle to keep up their story
and deal with the riotous consequences of
their deceptions.
Making his directorial debut, Bernd
Faveere says: “Whilst theatre is an excellent
platform for engaging with the serious issues
facing us as a society today, I think we forget
that it can also be an excellent form of entertainment, an avenue for escapism.”
MUST is a theatre company that creates
innovative performances by and with Monash
Students, for all audiences.
In 2017, 820 MUST cast members and
crew were involved in over 150 events and
performances, with attendances totalling over
7000. Performances took place at Monash,
in the Melbourne Fringe Festival HUB and at
fortyfivedownstairs in Melbourne’s CBD.
Performance Season: May 24 – 26, May
29 – June 2 at 7.30pm, Matinee June 2 at
2pm.
Venue: The MUST Space, Ground Floor
West, Campus Centre, 21 Chancellors Walk,
Monash University, Clayton.
Tickets: $21/$17
Bookings: msa.monash.edu/must or via
the Student Union Rec Library Enquiries via
MUST: 9905 8173
- Cheryl Threadgold
● From Page 11

Burrinja Gallery

■ The purpose of the soundscape is to offer
our participants sensory triggers that support
the idea of an outdoor environment.
The natural environment of the
Dandenong Ranges plays a large role in the
conceptual development of Dave's art practice which compliments the outdoor theme
ofThe Wonder Wigwam.
Burrinja Gallery
351 Glenfern Rd, Upwey
- Peter Kemp

Media Flashes

■ Network Ten has launched its new site
today, Ten Daily. The standalone, mobileoptimised site features the latest in news,
entertainment, lifestyle, food, opinion and
sport, with a strong focus on video content.

Page 60 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Observer Showbiz

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Movies, DVDs with Jim Sherlock, Aaron Rourke
What’s Hot and What’s Not
in Blu-Rays and DVDs
FILM:
THE POST:
Genre:
Biography/History/Drama.
Cast:
Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson and
Bruce Greenwood.
Year:
2017.
Rating:
M.
Length:
115 Minutes.
Stars:
***½
Verdict: Political-drama of a cover-up that spanned four U.S. presidents that depicts the country's first female newspaper publisher,
Katharine Graham of The Washington Post, and its hard-hitting editor, Ben Bradlee, who join in an unprecedented battle (suppressing)
between journalism and Government in publishing the top secret
Pentagon Papers, which revealed the explosive decades of lies of
the United States government's involvement during the Vietnam
War.
Compelling Steven Spielberg drama is a worthy addition to such
fact-based newspaper drama's such as Alan J. Pakula's Oscar winning Washington Post "Watergate" expose' "All The President's Men"
(1976), and 2015s Oscar winning film "Spotlight," of The Boston
Globe's drama on the uncovering of the Catholic Church Child molestation global scandal, among many others.
As strong an intimate depiction of the unique relationship between
publisher and editor as the unfolding saga of the Pentagon Papers,
Meryl Streep gives a solid and convincing performance as embattled
Washington Post publisher, Katharine Graham, however, for those
who remember Jason Robards Oscar winning performance as legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee in "All The President's
Men" (1976), they may feel short-changed, but this is a hard act to
follow, and nonetheless, Tom Hanks, no doubt aware of this, makes
it his own.
Almost [Frank] Capra-esque in feel and tone, as you would expect
from Steven Spielberg all else excels, an outstanding supporting
cast, most notably Bruce Greenwood as Secretary of Defence, Robert McNamara and Tracy Letts as Katharine Graham adviser, Fritz
Beebe, superb period detail and production design, and effective
music score from long time Spielberg collaborator, John Williams.
Intelligent, thrilling, nostalgic, important and entertaining, this is a
slice of history of when governments excelled and relished in arrogance and total abuse of power towards its people, and an affectionate tribute to those in the hey-day and struggle of journalistic
bravery who exposed them.
Also recommended is "The Pentagon Papers" (2003) starring James
Spader as Government Defense worker and analyst Daniel Ellsberg.
FILM:
Genre:
Cast:
Bana,

Vanessa, Redgrave, Adrian Dunbar.
Year:
2016.
Rating:
M.
Length:
108 Minutes.
Stars:
***½
Verdict: An elderly woman confined to a mental hospital in Ireland, a place she has called home for over 50 years, must vacate
the soon to be demolished institution, but when the hospital's psychiatrist is called in to assess her condition, she reveals the history
of her passionate yet troubled life in a hidden memoir, and soon
finds himself intoxicated by her past, and a journey that reveals a
dark secret.
Co-written and Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jim Sheridan
(My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father), has crafted an elegant
and intriguing tale that covers a broad landscape spanning over five
decades through war and the bloody and blindly brutal political and
religious toxicity over the period towards women.
Based on Sebastian Barry's award-winning novel of the same name,
this old fashioned cinematic tale owes for most part richly convincing and detailed performances by Rooney Mara as the young
Roseanne and Jack Reynor as the young pilot, Michael, however, it
is Eric Bana as the psychiatrist and Oscar winning screen veteran
Vanessa Redgrave that steal the acting honours with utterly compelling performances.
Beautifully photographed Mikhail Krichman, this film does lack a
more even thread, subtlety and emotional grip (soft), nonetheless,
this is a well made drama on the personal tragedy of unforgiving
dehumanizing 1940s political and religious absurdities, personal
choice, fear and freedom, a journey through a period and a place in
history which all too many did suffer, and which, sadly, their voices
will remain silent.
FILM:
ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ:
Cast:
Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo.
Genre:
Crime/Drama.
Year:
2017.
Rating:
M.
Length:
122 Minutes.
Stars:
***
Verdict: Set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system. Denzel Washington stars as Roman Israel, a driven,
idealistic defence attorney who, through a tumultuous series of
events, finds himself in a crisis.
Exceptional character study and legal drama falls short on emotion
and central grip, but succeeds due to the compelling Oscar nominated performance by Denzel Washington as the shoddy, insightful
off-centre lawyer, along with Colin Farrell as the cutthroat lawyer
who recruits him to his firm.
Extremely well filmed and paced with a solid supporting cast who
all deliver, writer/Director Dan Gilroy, whose previous credits include the outstanding Oscar nominated drama "Nightcrawler" (2014)
with Jake Gyllenhaal, has here created a unique character brimming with conviction, depth, humour and pathos.
Well written in parts, any loopholes or shortcomings the screenplay
delivers may not be all forgiven, but will mostly be forgotten, solely
due to the exceptional performance of Denzel Washington in a character you won't soon forget!

● Arnaud Valois co-stars in Robin Campillo's highly acclaimed, award-winning drama BPM, opening in cinemas
a fantasy, to hide something terrible
that is happening in real life.
■ (MA). 143 minutes. Opens in
Those who have seen J.A.
Boyena's richly textured A Monster
selected cinemas May 17.
Crafted with genuine conviction Calls (based on the 2011 novel by
and passion, this compelling and Patrick Ness) will know exactly
emotionally involving film looks at where this is going, but unfortunately
the French branch of the AIDS ac- screenwriter Joe Kelly (adapting
tivist group Act Up, who were des- his and J.M. Ken Niimura's 2008
perately trying to get an unsympa- seven-part comic book) and debut
thetic government and greedy phar- director Anders Walter (who won
maceutical companies to take their an Oscar for his 2013 short film
Helium) wallow too much in the
plight seriously.
Set around 1993, when public fantasy, unwisely withholding the
knowledge about the illness was tangible reason for Barbara's disstill vague and largely incorrect, we tress until the final moments of the
see what extremes the group mem- film, considerably undercutting
bers have to go to, to be able to what should be a moving denouement.
make their point heard.
RATING - **½
Writer/director Robin Campillo
(They Came Back, Eastern Boys)
injects the material with incredible
energy and life, and performances
across the board are outstanding. ■ (MA). 100 minutes. Now
While confidently looking at the streaming on Netflix.
With internet privacy a major
bigger picture, Campillo never forgets the people who are at the cen- concern in recent months (particutre of all this chaos, determination, larly after the Facebook scandal),
and loss, and delicately leads the the new Netflix thriller Anon
story to a quietly moving finish, couldn't have come at a better time.
Unfortunately, potentially proshowing the real impact this devastating illness had, not only on the vocative material is given routine
sick individual, but also the family and derivative treatment by writer/
director Andrew Niccol, who has
and friends around them.
While BPM incredibly did not failed to deliver anything substanreceive an Oscar nomination for tial since striking gold with Gattaca
Best Foreign Film at this year's (1997) and The Truman Show
Academy Awards, it did score four (1998). Clive Owen stars as Sal
awards at Cannes, and won big at Frieland, a big city detective who
the French Oscars, taking home six operates in a world where everyone is literally connected online,
Cesars.
enabling the powers-that-be to view,
RATING - ****½
anticipate, and stop any criminal
activity.
When people start turning up
■ (M). 107 minutes. Opens in se- dead, with their eye tech 'hacked',
so the authorities can't see who is
lected cinemas May 17.
Though nicely produced, with committing these murders, Sal fosome sincere performances, this cuses on the main suspect (Amanda
frustratingly uneven drama ends up Seyfried), a memory modifier who
failing to fully connect with audi- miraculously has no digital footprint
whatsoever. Borrowing heavily
ences.
The story centres on twelve from Kathryn Bigelow's brilliant
year-old Barbara (Madison Wolfe), Strange Days (1995) and Steven
who distances herself from those Spielberg's Minority Report (2002),
around her, due to the fact that, un- as well as the anime series Dennou
beknownst to the townsfolk, she Coil (2007), David Cronenberg's
Scanners (1981), and the works of
hunts and kills giants.
Continually clashing with older Mamoru Ishii (Ghost In The Shell,
sister Karen (Imogen Poots), Sky Crawlers) and the late Satoshi
school psychologist Mrs. Molle Kon (Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Per(Zoe Saldana), and class bully Tay- fect Blue), Niccol fails to explore
lor (Rory Jackson), the reclusive this world in a satisfying manner,
teen unexpectedly finds a friend in relying too much on technical gimnewcomer Sophia (Sydney Wade), micks which grow tiresome very
who has recently moved from the quickly.
Owen seems disinterested
U.K.
As Mrs. Molle and Sophia at- throughout, while Seyfried registers
tempt to break through Barbara's little as the Basic Instinct-style
emotional wall, it eventually be- femme fatale.
RATING - **
comes apparent that she is living in

● Carrion by Justin Shoulder
Image by Tristan Jellah
■ Justin Shoulder can be seen in a new solo
performance of Carrion on June 27 – 30 at
Arts House, North Melbourne.
What does it mean to be human, in a period when destruction on the planet is rapidly
redefining the laws of nature?
Melding flesh, costume and a robo-primordial aesthetic, Carrion is a stunning new
solo performance by Justin Shoulder (V and
The River Eats) that introduces the figure of
Carrion – a shape-shifting, post-human spectre that speaks in multiple forms and languages.
Blurring the boundaries between animal,
human and machine, Carrion draws on queer
and ancestral mythologies and evokes a postapocalyptic landscape rife with decay, where
the human and the android have merged for
survival.
Season: June 27 - 30
Times: 8pm Wed – Sat
Duration: 60 minutes
Location: Arts House, 521 Queensberry
Street, North Melbourne
Tickets: $25 – $35 (plus transaction fee)
Bookings: artshouse.com.au or 9322 3720

FURY
■ Red Stitch presents Fury by Joanna
Murray-Smith from May 29 – July 1 at Red
Stitch Actors’ theatre, Rear 2 Chapel Street,
St Kilda East.
Directed by Brett Cousins and Ella
Caldwell, Fury tells of Alice and Patrick who
are conscientious and thoughtful, educated
and open-minded, and that’s how they have
raised their son, Joe. However, one evening
Joe’s teacher arrives to tell them Joe is in
trouble with the police through committing an
act of vandalism against the local mosque.
In this story of suburban extremism, the
most terrifying explosions are the ones within
families as children and parents fight to survive the truth about each other.
How well do we know our children and
how deep is our responsibility for them and to
them? And in the trenches of a privileged
family's life, what is fury — a force for evil or
a force for good?
Fury features Danielle Carter, Chris
Connelly, Shayne Francis, Joe Petruzzi,
Dushan Philips and Sean Rees – Wemyss.
With set and costume design by Chloe
Greaves, composition by The Sweats and
lighting design by Kris Chainey.
Performance Season: May 29 – July 1
Venue: Red Stitch Actors’Theatre, Rear 2
Chapel St., St Kilda.
Bookings: 9533 8083 or www.redstitch.net

Sisters In Crime awards
■ Sisters in Crime Australia’s 25th Scarlet Stiletto Awards were launched by Dr Angela Savage at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Library, and almost $10,000 is on offer in prize money.
Savage, the 2011 shoe winner and now Director of Writers’ Victoria, declared the awards
‘a milestone for Australian crime – at least of
the literary persuasion.’
The awards, she said, had ‘spring-boarded the
careers of many writers, including myself.’
To date, 3084 stories have been entered with
23 Scarlet Stiletto Award winners –including category winners – going on to have novels published.
‘Like many of Sisters in Crime’s best ideas,
it sprang from a well-lubricated meeting in St
Kilda when the convenors debated how they
could unearth the female criminal talent they
were convinced was lurking everywhere.
‘Once a competition was settled on, it didn’t
take long to settle on a name – the scarlet stiletto, a feminist play on the traditions of the genre.
The stiletto is both a weapon and a shoe worn by
women. And of course, the colour scarlet has a
special association for us as women. And they
were right – talent is lurking everywhere, sometimes in the most unlikely places!’
The success and longevity of the awards have
been hugely dependent on the generosity of Australian publishers, booksellers, the film and tele-

vision industry, authors and other parties.
There are two new awards on offer this year:
Writers Victoria Crime and Punishment Award
($660) for the story with the most satisfying retribution (the winner gets a three-month spell in
prison in the guise of a studio residency at Old
Melbourne Gaol) and the International Association of Forensic Linguistics (IALF)Award for
Best Forensic Linguistics Story ($1000).
Awards include:
The Swinburne University Award: 1st Prize:
$1500
The Simon and Schuster Award: 2nd prize:
$1000
The Sun Bookshop Award: 3rd Prize: $500
The Fleurieu Consult Award for Best Young
Writer (18 and under): $500
The Athenaeum Library ‘Body in the Library’
Award: $1000 ($500 runner-up)
International Association of Forensic Linguists
Award: $1000 for Best Forensic Linguistics
Story
The Every Cloud Award for Best Mystery with
History Story: $750
Closing date for the awards is 31 August.
Entry fee is $20 (Sisters in Crime members) or
$25 (others). Maximum length is 5000 words.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony
in Melbourne in late November.
www.sistersincrime.org.au

● Georgina Rawson and Reilly Holt
in Vinegar Tom.
Photo: Pathana Ganesarasa
■ Vinegar Tom, with its appeal to the discipline of Epic Theatre , is Carly Churchill’s
take on gender and power.
Set in 17th Century England where superstition and belief in witchcraft prevailed, the
issues of inequality, violence, poverty, oppression and inequity still resonate.
The Monash University Student Theatre
production was a valiant attempt but the challenges inherent in the form require a depth of
experience and craftsmanship that these students will eventually acquire.
The opening vignette between the man
(Aleksandr Corke) and Alice (Monique
Marani) is written with a subtext of desire,
control, social norms, expectation and manipulation that it takes artists of inordinate
power to realize the layering of themes and
issues. The various levels of ability were also
inherent in the other cast members as one
would expect from a student production.
The demands of Epic Theatre form needed
to be more seamlessly interwoven into the
production which required more directorial
ingenuity.
Gina Dickson had modern day medics
with the requisite sound of a heart monitor as
a point of discord to break the naturalistic
mould but the integration of the music, the
movement of the set and the choreography
needed to be better handled.
The coda at the end of the show where
two vaudevillian spruikers document the misogynistic views of society from the bible onwards almost came as a complete afterthought
and a performance piece of its own.
Thus, the transfer between forms which is
a hallmark of the Epic genre needed an extra
degree of creativity.
There was also more light and shade to be
realized in the production – humour needed
to be found to balance the overwhelming gravity of predetermined witchcraft trials.
The company should be encouraged – despite this critic’s disparagement. I am being
honest rather than condescending for the effort and enthusiasm needs acknowledgement
and there is no better praise than being reviewed professionally.
Congratulations to the ensemble –
Samantha Hafey-Bagg, Ashleigh Gray,
Natalie Speechley, Lily Thomson, Georgina
Rawson, Ellis Finnie, Reilly Holt, Vincent
Brown and Fraser Mitchell. And I only wish I
had more space to include all the crew involved.
University student theatre serves a vital
purpose within the community and for the development of the craft.
Venue: The MUST Space, 21 Chancellors Walk, Monash University
Performance Season: Until May 19.
Bookings: msa.monash.edu/must
- Review by David McLean

■ The time honoured, Goodwood Handicap to
be run at Morphettville this Saturday has attracted some of Australia's best sprinters for the
coveted prize.
Heading the charts is the Hayes- Dabernig
crack sprinter Vega Magic, resuming after an
injury sustained in his paddock suffering a superficial injury, last November.
Vega Magic was considered very unlucky
not to have beaten the world's best sprinter,
Redzel, in the inaugural Everest Classic
Co-trainer, Tom Dabernig, said " The injury
is a structural thing, just a cut''.
He added that his skin tone and his skin quality were excellent.
The co-trainers took him to Werribee recently
for a gallop, where he showed he was right on
the mark, with a thrashing of several restricted
gallopers, brushing them aside in easy fashion.
Vega Magic is bidding to become the first horse
in 106 years to win consecutive Goodwood
Handicaps.
The former Western Australian galloper
showed them what it was all about running the
1100 metre trial in 1m.07 seconds, blowing his
four rivals away, but then again so he should.
Damien Oliver, who will ride the gelding in
the Goodwood, was on him in the trial and said
after that he had made really nice improvement
in a trial at Tatura.
Sidelined since finishing seventh in the
Darley Classic in November over the Melbourne
Cup Carnival, Vega Magic needed several
stitches in his leg after running through a fence
in a paddock incident as mentioned earlier.
He was to run in the recent T.J.Smith Classic
in Sydney last month, but that was ruled out with
the injury.
Co-trainer David Hayes is confident that he
has a big chance for Vega Magic to become the
second horse to win successive Goodwood
Handicaps.
At this stage the stable are looking at this run
and then having another crack at the big prize in
the Everest in Sydney, in October.
Before that the stable has planned to win successive Memsie Stakes at Caulfield prior.
He is all class and will be hard to beat come
Saturday.
On the second line of favortism is the very
good filly, Shoals, from the Anthony Freedman
camp, who has proved herself time and time
again.
Her win in the Sangster Classic recently had
to be seen to be believed, when she came with a
barnstorming finish to blow them away.
Prior to that, she won the Surround Stakes a
Group One Event at Randwick, also in great
fashion.
From her only 10 starts, she has won seven
races with two minor placings and two Group
Ones.
Although giving the older sprinters a few years
she is extremely talented and will be hard to
beat and at the good odds of $10 each way.
On the next line is another very good sprinting mare in Viddora, who recently sustained an
injury and missed her engagement.
The former Western Australian mare is all
class and will be in the firing line for some time.
The consistent Mick Price mare, Secret
Agenda, is racing well and finished hard along
the inside to run a good second to Shoals in the
Sangster, and will be hard to beat.
From her 22 starts she has won seven with
six minor placings, and will be in the firing line
right throughout.
On top of this she will have one of Australia's
most astute trainers in her corner.
Another big run at Morphettville on Sangster
day was that of Santa Ana Lane, a stablemate
of Shoals.
Her form of late has been mixed, but she had
problems at her last start with respiratory issues.
On his day he can put in a good run, and it
wouldn't surprise if he ran very well here.
From his 25 starts he has won five with six
placings.
Victorian trainer, Mick Kent, has his good
sprinter, Supido, going around for big bikkies,
and you can never leave him out.

● Damien Oliver will ride the gelding in the Goodwood. Racing Photos
He is being quoted at $ 15, and is well worth Coffey boot home his first Group One winner in
a place bet at those odds or a place ticket.
the Australian Oaks at Morphettville.
The young rider has battled Cystic Fibrosis,
an insidious affliction for some time, and has
missed many a meeting, despite being only 22
■ It was a pleasure to watch jockey Harry years of age.
His father Austy Coffey along with leading
trainer, Darren Weir, have been the mainstay
for the popular rider from his apprenticeship.
Harry booted home the smart staying filly
from the Darren Weir barn in Sopressa to win in
easy fashion after a stylish ride.
Top Sydney jockey, Tommy Berry, tweeted
his delight from Sydney after watching the
young man boot home, Sopressa for Darren
Weir in the Oaks over 2000 metres.
Many racing folk have joined in the chorus
for Harry.
Great to see a good story in light of the proceedings going on in Racing at the moment.

Hot Coffey

Ted Ryan

Clocked

■ The Flemington track was on fire Saturday
as a few sectionals ran the clock down.
In the first event for the two-year old fillies,
the winner, Crack the Code, stormed home to
run 11.28 seconds for the final two hundred
metres, that's Black Caviar's time, and her last
400 metres in 22.54, to just beat the Hayes Dabernig filly, Yulong Mercury.
The trainer of Crack the Code, Mick Price,
has a very big opinion of the filly, and rightly so,
on that run, likewise Yulong Mercury.
In the same race, Aristia, from the EllertonZahra camp was slow early, but rattled home to
finish fourth running home in 22.51 seconds for
the last four hundred metres
Lady Espirit , who ran third behind Malibu
Style, in the Tommy Hughes Sprint over 1000
metres, ran 21.85 second for the final four hundred metres, after Bullpit scorched away with a
big break early.
Bullpit was clocked running 20.46 from the
800 metre mark to the 400 metre point; he tired
to run fourth.

● Great times last week at Flemiongton. Racing Photos

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Wine Column
Great Margaret
River flavour

● Janice McDonald has created a
remarkable Margaret River
chardonnay.
■ Jonh Rozentals has the pleasure of tasting
a Margaret River chardonnay showing exceptional power and intensity of flavour.
As an extremely fortunate and regular
imbiber of great bottles and scribbler about
wine, one of the most difficult questions posed
to me goes along the lines of: "If I spend $50
on a bottle will I get five times as good a wine
than if I spend just $10?"
My answer usually goes something like
this: "You should certainly expect a significantly better wine but I really doubt that it will
be five times better."
Just as a top-line Mercedes is a better car
then a Commodore but doesn't really some
out as that much better than their respective
price tags would suggest.
I remember, from very hazy days long
ago, learning in economics about the law of
diminishing returns. I'm sure that this question is somehow related to that, though I can't
quite pin down how.
I suppose that, in a nutshell, each improvement in grape quality comes only at a much
more significant cost.
I pondered this over a glass of exceptional
chardonnay, produced principally from Margaret River fruit by Janice McDonald at Western Australia's Howard Park.
As my tasting notes indicate, this wine is
one of the richest and most intensely flavoured
white wines I have had the pleasure of sipping.
It's priced at $54 and significantly better than
your average $10-a-bottle chardonnay. But
five times better? I doubt it, but if I had the
readies I know which I'd rather be drinking.
Visit www.burchfamilywines.com.au.
TASTING NOTES
Howard Park 2017 Miamup Sauvignon
Blanc Semillon ($28): an
excellent example of why this blend has become a Margaret River Clasic.
While most of the fruit is cold fermented
in stainless-steel tanks, some batches are fermented in oak.
The resultant complexity shows. A great
match for the best oysters you can lay you
hands on.
Howard Park 2017 Flint Rock Pinot Noir
($28): Winemaker Janice
McDonald has sourced 85 per cent of the
fruit for this delightful red from the Great
Southern region, a goodly drive east Margaret River.
Fruit flavours are dominated by cherries and
roast duck would be my accompanying dish
of choice.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Howard Park 2017 Chardonnay ($54): An
absolute marvel of rich and intense
chardonnay fruit flavours that really do
epitomise why Margaret River has emerged
as an Australian - and, indeed, world - king. A
pleasure to drink. Bring on the crayfish salad.
- John Rozentals

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 65

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Page 66 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Metropolitan and Regional Victoria

GARNET BAILEY
0417 34 6214
ALL HOURS
Offering a caring and
professional
service.
A LOCAL, WHO KNOW S LOCAL NEEDS

Prices start from $2500

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 67

Page 68 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au

www.MelbourneObser ver.com.au

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018 - Page 69

Deck-Doc

Local company chosen as
best in the world

For many years Deck-Doc has been supplying retailers throughout
Australia with their premium range of timber and decking oils.
For the past three years, Deck-Doc has been predominantly selling their products online to service the whole of Australia as well
as international customers.

Deck-Doc was recently chosen over
other companies to supply their oils to
an international company and is in the
process of sealing an agency agreement
for exclusive distribution and selling
rights in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Deck-Doc timber oil is environmentally friendly and the business has been
manufacturing unique, lanolin-based
timber oil in Geelong for 15 years.
The formula was developed by Robert Hylands to preserve the natural oils
and tannins in the timber.
The timbers oils and tannins determine the colour of the timber.
If the tannins dry out, the timber will
lose its own natural colour.
The formula is made up of many different plant oils, waxes and lanolin and
designed to stay soft and pliable when
absorbed into the surface layers of the
timber, therefore will not solidify and
form a hard membrane of the surface.
It will move with the timber during
all weather conditions preventing water absorption and drying out of the
tannins.
Mr Hylands first developed the timber oil when he noticed there was nothing on the market that preserved the
timber and protected the timber’s natural colour.
Before his time at Deck-Doc, he
gained experience when he owned a
factory making hand carved, handpainted wooden decoy ducks for duck
hunters.
The timber used for the ducks had to
maintain its natural colour and stay on
the water without absorbing moisture.
After extensive research, he found
lanolin (wool grease) gave excellent
water repellency as well as UV protection.
Mr Hylands developed lanolin-based
timber protection oil and found the
water-repellent protection and preservative way far superior and says lanolin is “Nature’s natural UV protection”.
Lanolin comes from the wool of sheep
and is extracted from the fleece.
It is a substance that waterproofs,
insulates, and protects sheep from the
cold, wind, rain and harmful CV sun
rays.
Deck-Doc uses the best merino wool
to extract lanolin.
Throughout history ancient mariners
such as the Vikings used lanolin to protect, waterproof and preserve the
wooden boards on their ships.
Many of the ships were away from
their home bases for many years and
their ships were subjected to wild
storms at sea.
They survived thanks to the protection of Lanolin.
Deck-Doc invites all to visit their
showroom in Moolap for free advice in
a number of important issues concerning timber care.
There is a large selection of timber
types that have been exposed to severe
weather conditions, enabling people to
understand the importance of choosing a suitable timber type. for the right
application.
Also know what happens to the different types of decking stains and coatings, how they weather, and the maintenance required.
The friendly staff have useful hints
for anyone preparing to build a new
deck.

Page 70 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 16, 2018

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